Apparatus and methods for coordinated delivery of multiple data channels over physical medium

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for unified high-bandwidth, low-latency data services. In one embodiment, a network architecture having service delivery over at least portions of extant infrastructure (e.g., a hybrid fiber coaxial infrastructure) is disclosed, which includes standards-compliant ultra-low latency and high data rate services (e.g., 5G NR services) via a common service provider. In one variant, parallel MIMO data streams supported by 3GPP 5G NR are shifted in frequency before being injected into the single coaxial cable feeder, so that frequency diversity (instead of spatial diversity) is leveraged to achieve the maximum total carrier bandwidth that 3GPP 5G NR chipsets. Intermediate Frequencies (IF) are transmitted over the media in one implementation, (i.e., instead of higher frequencies), and block-conversion to RF carrier frequency is employed subsequently in the enhanced consumer premises equipment (CPEe) for 3GPP band-compliant interoperability with the 3GPP 5G NR chipset in the CPEe.

PRIORITY AND RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/658,465 filed Apr. 16, 2018 and entitled“APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED HIGH-CAPACITY DATA AND WIRELESSNETWORK SERVICES”, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

This application is also related to co-owned and co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/216,835 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FORINTEGRATED HIGH-CAPACITY DATA AND WIRELESS NETWORK SERVICES” filed Dec.11, 2018, Ser. No. 16/261,234 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FORENABLING MOBILITY OF A USER DEVICE IN AN ENHANCED WIRELESS NETWORK”filed Jan. 29, 2019, 2019, 16/______ entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FORINTEGRATED HIGH-CAPACITY DATA AND WIRELESS IoT (INTERNET OF THINGS)SERVICES” filed April ______, 2019, 16/______ entitled “GATEWAYAPPARATUS AND METHODS FOR WIRELESS IoT (INTERNET OF THINGS) SERVICES”filed April ______, 2019, and 16/______ entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODSFOR ENHANCING QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE FOR OVER-THE-TOP DATA SERVICES OVERHIGH-CAPACITY WIRELESS NETWORKS” filed April ______, 2019, each of theforegoing incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND 1. Technological Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of data networksand wireless devices, and specifically in one exemplary aspect to anarchitecture which integrates or unifies provision of high-speed dataservices in a variety of different locations and use cases, includingprovision of multiple data channels over a common bearer.

2. Description of Related Technology

Data communication services are now ubiquitous throughout user premises(e.g., home, office, and even vehicles). Such data communicationservices may be provided via a managed or unmanaged network. Forinstance, a typical home has services provided by one or more networkservice providers via a managed network such as a cable or satellitenetwork. These services may include content delivery (e.g., lineartelevision, on-demand content, personal or cloud DVR, “start over”,etc.), as well as so-called “over the top” third party content.Similarly, Internet and telephony access is also typically provided, andmay be bundled with the aforementioned content delivery functions intosubscription packages, which are increasingly becoming more user- orpremises-specific in their construction and content. Such services arealso increasingly attempting to adopt the paradigm of “anywhere”,anytime,” so that users (subscribers) can access the desired services(e.g., watch a movie) via a number of different receiving and renderingplatforms, such as in different rooms of their house, on their mobiledevice while traveling, etc.

Managed Cable Networks

Network operators deliver data services (e.g., broadband) and videoproducts to customers using a variety of different devices, therebyenabling their users or subscribers to access data/content in a numberof different contexts, both fixed (e.g., at their residence) and mobile(such as while traveling or away from home). FIGS. 1 and 2 are afunctional block diagrams illustrating a typical prior art managed(e.g., cable) content delivery network architecture used to provide suchdata services to its users and subscribers.

Data/content delivery may be specific to the network operator, such aswhere video content is ingested by the network operator or its proxy,and delivered to the network users or subscribers as a product orservice of the network operator. For instance, a cable multiple systemsoperator (MSO) may ingest content from multiple different sources (e.g.,national networks, content aggregators, etc.), process the ingestedcontent, and deliver it to the MSO subscribers via e.g., a hybrid fibercoax (HFC) cable/fiber network, such as to the subscriber's set-top boxor DOCSIS cable modem. Such ingested content is transcoded to thenecessary format as required (e.g., MPEG-2 or MPEG-4/AVC), framed andplaced in the appropriate media container format (“packaged”), andtransmitted via e.g., statistical multiplex into a multi-programtransport stream (MPTS) on 6 MHz radio frequency (RF) channels forreceipt by the subscribers RF tuner, demultiplexed and decoded, andrendered on the user's rendering device (e.g., digital TV) according tothe prescribed coding format.

Within the cable plant, VOD and so-called switched digital video (SDV)may also be used to provide content, and utilize a single-programtransport stream (SPTS) delivery modality. In U. S. cable systems forexample, downstream RF channels used for transmission of televisionprograms are 6 MHz wide, and occupy a 6 MHz spectral slot between 54 MHzand 860 MHz. Deployments of VOD services have to share this spectrumwith already established analog and digital cable television servicessuch as those described above. Within a given cable plant, all homesthat are electrically connected to the same cable feed running through aneighborhood will receive the same downstream signal. For the purpose ofmanaging e.g., VOD services, these homes are grouped into logical groupstypically called Service Groups. Homes belonging to the same ServiceGroup receive their VOD service on the same set of RF channels.

VOD service is typically offered over a given number (e.g., 4) of RFchannels from the available spectrum in cable. Thus, a VOD Service Groupconsists of homes receiving VOD signals over the same 4 RF channels.

In most cable networks, programs are transmitted using MPEG (e.g.,MPEG-2) audio/video compression. Since cable signals are transmittedusing Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) scheme, available payloadbitrate for typical modulation rates (QAM-256) used on HFC systems isroughly 38 Mbps. For example, in many VOD deployments, a typical rate of3.75 Mbps is used to send one video program at resolution and qualityequivalent to NTSC broadcast signals. In digital television terminology,this is called Standard Definition (SD) television resolution.Therefore, use of MPEG-2 and QAM modulation enables carriage of 10 SDsessions on one RF channel (10×3.75=37.5 Mbps<38 Mbps). Since a typicalService Group consists of 4 RF channels, 40 simultaneous SD VOD sessionscan be accommodated within a Service Group.

Entertainment-quality transmission of HD (High Definition) signalsrequires about four times as much bandwidth as SD. For an exemplaryMPEG-2 Main Profile—High Level (MP@HL) video compression, each HDprogram requires around 15 Mbps bitrate.

OTT—

Alternatively, so-called “over-the-top” or OTT delivery may be used forproviding services within a network, wherein content from a third partysource who may be unaffiliated with the network operator providescontent directly to the requesting user or subscriber via the networkoperator's infrastructure (including the cable architecture describedsupra), e.g., via an IP-based transport; i.e., the content is packetizedand routed for delivery to the requesting user based on the user'snetwork or IP address, such as via the aforementioned high-speed DOCSIScable modem, according to the well-known Internet Protocol network-layerprotocol.

IP unicasts (point to point) or multicasts (point to multiple points)have traditionally been used as the mechanism by which the OTT contentis distributed over the network, via the user accessing a prescribed URLand logging in with their credentials to gain access to the content. TheIP content is then streamed via the unicast/multicast to the requestinguser(s), and received and decoded by a media player application program(“app”) on the user's PC, laptop, or other IP-enabled end-user device.

Wireless

A multitude of wireless networking technologies, also known as RadioAccess Technologies (“RATs”), provide the underlying means of connectionfor radio-based communication networks to user devices. Such RATs oftenutilize licensed radio frequency spectrum (i.e., that allocated by theFCC per the Table of Frequency Allocations as codified at Section 2.106of the Commission's Rules). Currently only frequency bands between 9 kHzand 275 GHz have been allocated (i.e., designated for use by one or moreterrestrial or space radio communication services or the radio astronomyservice under specified conditions). For example, a typical cellularservice provider might utilize spectrum for so-called “3G” (thirdgeneration) and “4G” (fourth generation) wireless communications asshown in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1 Technology Bands 3G 850 MHz Cellular, Band 5 (GSM/GPRS/ EDGE).1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE). 850 MHz Cellular, Band 5(UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbit/s). 1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21Mbit/s). 4G 700 MHz Lower B/C, Band 12/17 (LTE). 850 MHz Cellular, Band5 (LTE). 1700/2100 MHz AWS, Band 4 (LTE). 1900 MHz PCS, Band 2 (LTE).2300 MHz WCS, Band 30 (LTE).

Alternatively, unlicensed spectrum may be utilized, such as that withinthe so-called ISM-bands. The ISM bands are defined by the ITU RadioRegulations (Article 5) in footnotes 5.138, 5.150, and 5.280 of theRadio Regulations. In the United States, uses of the ISM bands aregoverned by Part 18 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)rules, while Part 15 contains the rules for unlicensed communicationdevices, even those that share ISM frequencies. Table 2 below showstypical ISM frequency allocations:

TABLE 2 Frequency Center range Type frequency Availability Licensedusers  6.765 MHz- A  6.78 MHz Subject to Fixed service &  6.795 MHzlocal mobile service acceptance  13.553 MHz- B  13.56 MHz WorldwideFixed & mobile  13.567 MHz services except aeronautical mobile (R)service  26.957 MHz- B  27.12 MHz Worldwide Fixed & mobile  27.283 MHzservice except aeronautical mobile service, CB radio  40.66 MHz- B 40.68 MHz Worldwide Fixed, mobile services   40.7 MHz & earthexploration- satellite service  433.05 MHz- A 433.92 MHz only in amateurservice &  434.79 MHz Region 1, radiolocation service, subject to localadditional apply the acceptance provisions of footnote 5.280    902 MHz-B   915 MHz Region 2 Fixed, mobile except    928 MHz only (withaeronautical mobile & some radiolocation service; exceptions) in Region2 additional amateur service   2.4 GHz- B  2.45 GHz Worldwide Fixed,mobile,   2.5 GHz radiolocation, amateur & amateur-satellite service 5.725 GHz- B   5.8 GHz Worldwide Fixed-satellite,  5.875 GHzradiolocation, mobile, amateur & amateur- satellite service    24 GHz- B24.125 GHz Worldwide Amateur, amateur-  24.25 GHz satellite,radiolocation & earth exploration- satellite service (active)    61 GHz-A  61.25 GHz Subject to Fixed, inter-satellite,   61.5 GHz local mobile& acceptance radiolocation service    122 GHz- A  122.5 GHz Subject toEarth exploration-    123 GHz local satellite (passive), acceptancefixed, inter-satellite, mobile, space research (passive) & amateurservice    244 GHz- A   245 GHz Subject to Radiolocation, radio    246GHz local astronomy, amateur & acceptance amateur-satellite service

ISM bands are also been shared with (non-ISM) license-freecommunications applications such as wireless sensor networks in the 915MHz and 2.450 GHz bands, as well as wireless LANs (e.g., Wi-Fi) andcordless phones in the 915 MHz, 2.450 GHz, and 5.800 GHz bands.

Additionally, the 5 GHz band has been allocated for use by, e.g., WLANequipment, as shown in Table 3:

TABLE 3 Dynamic Freq. Selection Band Name Frequency Band Required (DFS)?UNII-1  5.15 to 5.25 GHz No UNII-2  5.25 to 5.35 GHz Yes UNII-2 Extended 5.47 to 5.725 GHz Yes UNII-3 5.725 to 5.825 GHz No

User client devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, phablet, laptop,smartwatch, or other wireless-enabled devices, mobile or otherwise)generally support multiple RATs that enable the devices to connect toone another, or to networks (e.g., the Internet, intranets, orextranets), often including RATs associated with both licensed andunlicensed spectrum. In particular, wireless access to other networks byclient devices is made possible by wireless technologies that utilizenetworked hardware, such as a wireless access point (“WAP” or “AP”),small cells, femtocells, or cellular towers, serviced by a backend orbackhaul portion of service provider network (e.g., a cable network). Auser may generally access the network at a node or “hotspot,” a physicallocation at which the user may obtain access by connecting to modems,routers, APs, etc. that are within wireless range.

One such technology that enables a user to engage in wirelesscommunication (e.g., via services provided through the cable networkoperator) is Wi-Fi® (IEEE Std. 802.11), which has become a ubiquitouslyaccepted standard for wireless networking in consumer electronics. Wi-Fiallows client devices to gain convenient high-speed access to networks(e.g., wireless local area networks (WLANs)) via one or more accesspoints.

Commercially, Wi-Fi is able to provide services to a group of userswithin a venue or premises such as within a trusted home or businessenvironment, or outside, e.g., cafes, hotels, business centers,restaurants, and other public areas. A typical Wi-Fi network setup mayinclude the user's client device in wireless communication with an AP(and/or a modem connected to the AP) that are in communication with thebackend, where the client device must be within a certain range thatallows the client device to detect the signal from the AP and conductcommunication with the AP.

Another wireless technology in widespread use is Long-Term Evolutionstandard (also colloquially referred to as “LTE,” “4G,” “LTE Advanced,”among others). An LTE network is powered by an Evolved Packet Core(“EPC”), an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network architecture andeNodeB—Evolved NodeB or E-UTRAN node which part of the Radio AccessNetwork (RAN), capable of providing high-speed wireless datacommunication services to many wireless-enabled devices of users with awide coverage area.

Currently, most consumer devices include multi-RAT capability; e.g.; thecapability to access multiple different RATs, whether simultaneously, orin a “fail over” manner (such as via a wireless connection managerprocess running on the device). For example, a smartphone may be enabledfor LTE data access, but when unavailable, utilize one or more Wi-Fitechnologies (e.g., 802.11g/n/ac) for data communications.

The capabilities of different RATs (such as LTE and Wi-Fi) can be verydifferent, including regarding establishment of wireless service to agiven client device. For example, there is a disparity between thesignal strength threshold for initializing a connection via Wi-Fi vs.LTE (including those technologies configured to operate in unlicensedbands such as LTE-U and LTE-LAA). As a brief aside, LTE-U enables datacommunication via LTE in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) to provideadditional radio spectrum for data transmission (e.g., to compensate foroverflow traffic). LTE-LAA uses carrier aggregation to combine LTE inunlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) with the licensed band. Typical levelsof signal strength required for LTE-U or LTE-LAA service areapproximately −80 to −84 dBm. In comparison, Wi-Fi can be detected by aclient device based on a signal strength of approximately −72 to −80dBm, i.e., a higher (i.e., less sensitive) detection threshold.

Increasing numbers of users (whether users of wireless interfaces of theaforementioned standards, or others) invariably lead to “crowding” ofthe spectrum, including interference. Interference may also exist fromnon-user sources such as solar radiation, electrical equipment, militaryuses, etc. In effect, a given amount of spectrum has physicallimitations on the amount of bandwidth it can provide, and as more usersare added in parallel, each user potentially experiences moreinterference and degradation of performance.

Moreover, technologies such as Wi-Fi have limited range (due in part tothe unlicensed spectral power mask imposed in those bands), and maysuffer from spatial propagation variations (especially inside structuressuch as buildings) and deployment density issues. Wi-Fi has become soubiquitous that, especially in high-density scenarios such ashospitality units (e.g., hotels), enterprises, crowded venues, and thelike, the contention issues may be unmanageable, even with a plethora ofWi-Fi APs installed to compensate. Yet further, there is generally nocoordination between such APs, each in effect contending for bandwidthon its backhaul with others.

Additionally, lack of integration with other services provided by e.g.,a managed network operator, typically exists with unlicensed technologysuch as Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi typically acts as a “data pipe” opaquely carried bythe network operator/service provider.

5G New Radio (NR) and NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Area Network)—

NG-RAN or “NextGen RAN (Radio Area Network)” is part of the 3GPP “5G”next generation radio system. 3GPP is currently specifying Release 15NG-RAN, its components, and interactions among the involved nodesincluding so-called “gNBs” (next generation Node B's or eNBs). NG-RANwill provide very high-bandwidth, very low-latency (e.g., on the orderof 1 ms or less “round trip”) wireless communication and efficientlyutilize, depending on application, both licensed and unlicensed spectrumof the type described supra in a wide variety of deployment scenarios,including indoor “spot” use, urban “macro” (large cell) coverage, ruralcoverage, use in vehicles, and “smart” grids and structures. NG-RAN willalso integrate with 4G/4.5G systems and infrastructure, and moreover newLTE entities are used (e.g., an “evolved” LTE eNB or “eLTE eNB” whichsupports connectivity to both the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) and the NR“NGC” (Next Generation Core). As such, both “standalone” (SA) and“non-standalone” (NSA) configurations are described. As discussed ingreater detail below, in the SA scenario, the 5G NR or the evolved LTEradio cells and the core network are operated alone. Conversely, in NSAscenarios, combination of e-UTRAN and NG-RAN entities are utilized.

In some aspects, exemplary Release 15 NG-RAN leverages technology andfunctions of extant LTE/LTE-A technologies (colloquially referred to as4G or 4.5G), as bases for further functional development andcapabilities. For instance, in an LTE-based network, upon startup, aneNB (base station) establishes S1-AP connections towards the MME(mobility management entity) whose commands the eNB is expected toexecute. An eNB can be responsible for multiple cells (in other words,multiple Tracking Area Codes corresponding to E-UTRAN Cell GlobalIdentifiers). The procedure used by the eNB to establish theaforementioned S1-AP connection, together with the activation of cellsthat the eNB supports, is referred to as the S1 SETUP procedure; seeinter alia, 3GPP TS 36.413 V14.4. entitled “3rd Generation PartnershipProject; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; EvolvedUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); S1 ApplicationProtocol (S1AP) (Release 14)” dated September 2017, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As a brief aside, and referring to FIG. 3a (an SA configuration), the CU304 (also known as gNB-CU) is a logical node within the NR architecture300 that communicates with the NG Core 303, and includes gNB functionssuch as transfer of user data, session management, mobility control, RANsharing, and positioning; however, other functions are allocatedexclusively to the DU(s) 306 (also known as gNB-DUs) per various “split”options described subsequently herein in greater detail. The CU 304communicates user data and controls the operation of the DU(s) 306, viacorresponding front-haul (Fs) user plane and control plane interfaces308, 310.

Accordingly, to implement the Fs interfaces 308, 310, the (standardized)F1 interface is employed. It provides a mechanism for interconnecting agNB-CU 304 and a gNB-DU 306 of a gNB 302 within an NG-RAN, or forinterconnecting a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU of an en-gNB within an E-UTRAN.The F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) supports the functions of F1interface by signaling procedures defined in 3GPP TS 38.473. F1APconsists of so-called “elementary procedures” (EPs). An EP is a unit ofinteraction between gNB-CU and gNB-DU. These EPs are defined separatelyand are intended to be used to build up complete messaging sequences ina flexible manner. Generally, unless otherwise stated by therestrictions, the EPs may be invoked independently of each other asstandalone procedures, which can be active in parallel.

Within such an architecture 300, a gNB-DU 306 (or ngeNB-DU) is under thecontrol of a single gNB-CU 304. When a gNB-DU is initiated (includingpower-up), it executes the F1 SETUP procedure (which is generallymodeled after the above-referenced S1 SETUP procedures of LTE) to informthe controlling gNB-CU of, inter alia, any number of parameters such ase.g., the number of cells (together with the identity of each particularcell) in the F1 SETUP REQUEST message.

FIGS. 3b-3d illustrate some of the alternate prior art configurations of5G NR gNB architectures, including those involving eLTE eNB (evolved LTEeNBs that are capable of communication with an NGC or EPC) and variousconfigurations of user-plane and control-plane interfaces in theso-called “non-standalone” or NSA configurations (e.g., Options 3, 4 and7). See, inter alia, 3GPP TR 38.804 V14.0.0 (2017-03)—“3rd GenerationPartnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network;Study on New Radio Access Technology; Radio Interface Protocol Aspects(Release 14),” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, foradditional details on these and other possible 4G/5G configurations.

In FIG. 3b , a eUTRAN eNB 316 is communicative with the 5G gNB 302 foruser plane (UP) and control plane (CP) functions, and is communicativewith the NGC 303 for UP functions (i.e., the gNB is a master node inconjunction with a 5GC).

In FIG. 3c , a eUTRAN eNB 316 is communicative with the 5G gNB 302 foruser plane (UP) and control plane (CP) functions, and is communicativewith the NGC 303 for UP and CP functions (i.e., the eNB is a master nodein conjunction with a 5GC).

In FIG. 3d , a 5G gNB 302 is communicative with the eNB 316 for userplane (UP) and control plane (CP) functions, and is communicative withthe Evoled Packet Core (EPC) 333 for UP functions (i.e., the eNB is amaster node in conjunction with an EPC).

As of the date of this writing, 3GPP is delivering Release 15 toindustry in three distinct steps: (i) ‘early’ drop: containsNon-standalone 5G specifications (so called Option-3 family), ASN.1frozen in March 2018; (ii) ‘main’ drop: contains Standalone 5G (socalled Option-2), ASN.1 frozen in September 2018; and (iii) ‘late’ drop:contains additional migration architectures (so called Option-4,Option-7, and 5G-5G dual connectivity), ASN.1 to be frozen in June 2019.See http://www.3gpp.org/news-events/3gpp-news/2005-ran_r16_schedule.

Better Solutions Needed

Even with the great advances in wireless data rate, robustness andcoverage afforded by extant 4/4.5G (e.g. LTE/LTE-A) and WLAN (and otherunlicensed) systems, significant disabilities still exist.

One such problem relates to the situation where MNO or other radioaccess nodes or base stations are backhauled by another provider (e.g.,a wireless network built around HFC/DOCSIS as backhaul between the radioand wireless core network elements). In such cases, severaldisadvantages are encountered, including (i) separate CAPEX (capitalexpenditure) and OPEX (operating expenditure) “silos” for maintainingthe two different networks; i.e., wired and wireless; and (ii) lowerdata throughput efficiency and higher latency due to the additionaloverhead of encapsulating wireless data packets through e.g., the DOCSIS(backhaul) protocols. In the context of the aforementioned ultra-lowlatency requirements of 5G (i.e., 1 ms or less round-trip betweenendpoint nodes), such infrastructure-induced latency can result infailing to meet these requirements, making this architecture potentiallyunsuitable for 5G applications.

Moreover, to achieve certain capacity targets (e.g., 10 Gbps) over suchinfrastructure, increased use of optical fiber is needed in certainparts of the infrastructure. Under current HFC network design, servicesare provided to users via a single coaxial cable “drop” to theirpremises, and groups of such premises are served by common tap-offpoints or nodes within the larger architecture (see discussion of cablesystems supra). Individual premises “tap off” the cabling or otherinfrastructure from each node and, depending on their geographicplacement and other considerations, may require utilization of a numberof different amplification units in order to maintain sufficient signalstrength out to the most distant (topology-wise) premises in the system.

However, when using (i) a single receiver chipset in the consumerpremises equipment (CPE) and (ii) 3GPP 5G NR waveforms over such asingle coaxial feeder that MSOs bring to their subscriber's premises (oralternatively a single coaxial cable that is installed for lower-costsingle input single output (SISO) distributed antenna systems (DAS)),the total carrier bandwidth that can be aggregated by the chipset insuch architectures is limited to a value, e.g. 800 MHz, under prior arttechniques. This is insufficient for reaching high throughputs such as10 Gbit/s, and fails to effectively leverage the spectral efficienciessupported by the 3GPP 5G NR standard.

Since the 3GPP 5G NR standard supports the transmission of multipleindependent parallel data streams as part of a multiple input multipleoutput (MIMO) channel for the same RF bandwidth (i.e., to leverage thespatial diversity that wireless channels afford when multiple antennaelements are used), at least the first generation of commercial 3GPP NRchipsets will support such parallel MIMO data streams. However, attemptsto transmit these parallel streams over a single cable such as thatdescribed above would be counterproductive, as all the streams wouldoccupy the same RF bandwidth, and would interfere with each other forlack of spatial diversity between them.

Additionally, at least first generation NR implementations (“early drop”discussed above) require both 3GPP 4G and 5G capability to operate intandem, as part of the non-standalone (NSA) configuration, which addsfurther requirements/complexity. Specifically, 3GPP Release 15 indicatesthat the first implementations of networks and devices will be classedas NSA, in effect meaning that 5G networks will be supported by existing4G/4.5G core infrastructure (see exemplary configurations of FIGS. 3b-3ddiscussed above). For instance, 5G-enabled UEs will connect using 5Gfrequencies for data-throughput improvements, but will continue use of4G/4.5G infrastructure and EPC. That is, NSA leverages the existing LTEradio access and core to anchor 5G NR using the “Dual Connectivity”feature. Dual Connectivity may be defined as operation wherein a givenUE consumes radio resources provided by at least two different networkpoints (e.g. NR access from gNB and LTE access from eNB).

The initial implementations of 5G cellular infrastructure will bedirected primarily to so-called enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) andURLLC (ultra reliable low latency communications). These features areintended to provide, inter alia, increased data-bandwidth and connectionreliability via two (2) new radio frequency ranges: (i) Frequency Range1—this range overlaps and extends 4G/4.5G LTE frequencies, operatingfrom 450 MHz to 6,000 MHz. Bands are numbered from 1 to 255 (commonlyreferred to as New Radio (NR) or sub-6 GHz); and (ii) Frequency Range2—this range operates at a higher 24,250 MHz to 52,600 MHz, and usesbands numbered between 257 to 511.

The 5G Standalone (SA) network and device standard (approval to bedetermined) advantageously provides simplification and improvedefficiency over NSA. This simplification will lower CAPEX/OPEX cost, andimprove performance in data throughput up to the edge portions of thewireless infrastructure. Once the incipient SA standard (later “drops”discussed above) is implemented, migration from 5G NSA to SA byoperators will occur according to any one of a number of possiblemigration paths; however, until such migration is completed, NSArequirements must be supported where applicable.

Accordingly, improved apparatus and methods are needed to, inter alia,enable optimized delivery of ultra-high data rate services (both wiredand wireless) such as the aforementioned 10 Gbps capability, and whichleverage extant network infrastructure such as the single MSO cable dropdiscussed above. Ideally, such improved apparatus and methods would alsohave sufficient capability/flexibility to support both 4G and 5G NRfunctionality for NSA implementations which will likely be prevalent forat least a period of time before SA (Release 16) is fully implemented,as well as being adaptable for subsequent SA operation.

Summary

The present disclosure addresses the foregoing needs by providing, interalia, methods and apparatus for providing optimized delivery ofultra-high data rate services (both wired and wireless) and whichleverage extant network infrastructure and which support extant 3GPPprotocols including both 4G and 5G NR.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a radiofrequency (RF) network so that extant infrastructure is used to deliverintegrated wireless data services is disclosed. In one embodiment, themethod includes transmitting OFDM (orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing) waveforms over at least a portion of the extantinfrastructure within a prescribed frequency band. In one variant, thetransmitted OFDM waveforms including at least first and second spatialdiversity data channels, the at least first and second spatial diversitydata channels shifted in frequency relative to one another and withinthe prescribed frequency band so that each of the at least first andsecond spatial diversity data channels may be received by at least onereceiver device and aggregated.

In one implementation, the transmitting over the at least portion of theextant infrastructure includes transmitting over a hybrid fiber coax(HFC) infrastructure for delivery to at least one single coaxial cablepremises drop; and the integrated wireless data services comprise datadelivery at rates in excess of 1 Gbps.

In another implementation, the method further includes designating theprescribed frequency band from an available total bandwidth of theextant infrastructure; and allocating the at least first and secondspatial diversity data channels to at least two respective sub-bands.The allocation includes e.g., allocating using wideband amplifierapparatus into sub-bands of approximately 98 MHz, and may furthercomprise delivery of the at least two sub-bands to one or more extantHFC network hubs.

In a further implementation, the method further includes allocating atleast one 3GPP Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) channel within at leastone sub-band of the prescribed frequency band, and at least onesynchronization carrier within at least one sub-band of the prescribedfrequency band.

In one approach, I (In-phase) and Q (Quadrature) data are multiplexedonto the synchronization carrier, the multiplexing I (In-phase) and Q(Quadrature) data onto the synchronization carrier includingmultiplexing at least first and second data bits onto thesynchronization carrier, the at least first data bits corresponding to afirst technology, and the at least second data bits corresponding to asecond technology (e.g., 3GPP LTE and 3GPP 5G NR (5th Generation NewRadio)).

In another aspect, a network architecture configured to support wirelessuser devices is disclosed. In one embodiment, the architecture includes:a distribution node, the distribution node configured to transmit radiofrequency (RF) waveforms onto a wireline or optical medium of a network,the RF waveforms being orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM)modulated and including at least two spatially diverse data streams, afirst of the at least two spatially diverse data streams allocated to afirst frequency sub-band, and a second of the at least two spatialdiversity data streams allocated to a second frequency sub-band; and afirst plurality of user nodes, each of the first plurality of user nodesin data communication with the wireline or optical medium and includinga receiver apparatus.

In one variant, the receiver apparatus is configured to: receive thetransmitted OFDM modulated waveforms; upconvert the received OFDMmodulated waveforms to at least one user frequency band to formupconverted waveforms; and transmit the upconverted waveforms to atleast one wireless user device.

In one implementation, the network architecture includes a radio node indata communication with the distribution node and at least one of thefirst plurality of user nodes, the radio node configured to provide atleast supplemental data communication to the at least one user node. Theradio node is in data communication with the distribution node via atleast an optical fiber medium, and the radio node is in datacommunication with the at least one user node via a wireless interface.

In another implementation, the radio node is in data communication withthe distribution node via at least an optical fiber medium, and theradio node is in data communication with the at least one user node viaa wireless interface.

In a further implementation, the network architecture includes a seconddistribution node, the second distribution node configured to transmitradio frequency (RF) waveforms onto a second wireline or optical mediumof the network, the RF waveforms being orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplex (OFDM) modulated, the second wireline or optical medium of thenetwork serving a second plurality of user nodes different than thefirst plurality of user nodes. The architecture may also include a radionode in data communication with at least the distribution node and (i)at least one of the first plurality of user nodes, and (ii) at least oneof the second plurality of user nodes, the radio node configured toprovide at least supplemental data communication to both the at leastone of the first plurality of user nodes, and the at least one of thesecond plurality of user nodes.

In one particular implementation, the radio node is in datacommunication with the distribution node via at least an optical fibermedium, and the radio node is in data communication with both the atleast one of the first plurality of user nodes, and the at least one ofthe second plurality of user nodes, via a wireless interface utilizingan unlicensed portion of the RF spectrum.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a controller apparatus for usewithin a hybrid fiber/coaxial cable distribution network is disclosed.In one embodiment, the controller apparatus includes: a radio frequency(RF) communications management module; a first data interface in datacommunication with the RF communications management module for datacommunication with a network core process; a second data interface indata communication with the RF communications management module for datacommunication with a first RF distribution node of the hybridfiber/coaxial cable distribution network; and a third data interface indata communication with the RF communications management module for datacommunication with a second RF distribution node of the hybridfiber/coaxial cable distribution network.

In one variant, the radio frequency (RF) communications managementmodule includes computerized logic to enable at least the transmissionof digital data from at least one of the first RF distribution node andthe second RF distribution node using a plurality of spatial diversitydata streams shifted in frequency relative to one another andtransmitted via a selected transmission frequency band.

In one implementation, the radio frequency (RF) communicationsmanagement module includes a 3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) gNB(gNodeB) Controller Unit (CU), the first data interface for datacommunication with a network core process includes a 3GPP FifthGeneration New Radio (5G NR) X_(n) interface with a 5GC (FifthGeneration Core), and the second data interface includes a 3GPP FifthGeneration New Radio (5G NR) F1 interface operative over at least awireline data bearer medium, the first RF distribution node including a3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) gNB (gNodeB) Distributed Unit(DU); and the third data interface includes an Fifth Generation NewRadio (5G NR) F1 interface operative over at least a dense wave divisionmultiplexed (DWDM) optical data bearer, the second RF distribution nodeincluding a 3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) gNB (gNodeB)Distributed Unit (DU).

In another aspect, methods and apparatus for utilizing spatial diversitydata streams to deliver data over a common single transmission mediumare disclosed. In one embodiment, the spatial diversity streams are 5GNR MIMO data streams, and the transmission medium includes a coaxialcable.

In a further aspect, a method of generating and delivering a pluralityof MIMO data streams over a network is disclosed. In one embodiment, themethod includes delivering two or more MIMO streams which converge at adestination node (e.g., CPEe) using different frequency resources aftercarriage over an interposed RF cable medium. In one variant, the two ormore MIMO streams are mapped to the frequency resources based at leaston channel quality feedback from the CPEe back to the transmission node.In another variant, the method further includes selecting an appropriatemodulation and coding scheme (MCS) for each of the streams, such as bythe transmission node.

In another aspect, methods for synchronizing first and second technologydata streams transmitted over a bearer medium (e.g., coaxial cable) aredisclosed. In one variant, I and Q signals are sent over the medium in aprescribed frequency band and used to synchronize 4G/4.5G (LTE/LTE-A)signals and 5G NR signals.

In another aspect, computerized network apparatus for use in a datanetwork is disclosed. In one variant, the network includes an HFCnetwork with NG-RAN capability, and the apparatus includes at least oneenhanced DU (DUe).

In another variant, the network apparatus includes at least one enhancedCU (CUe), which can control a number of DU/DUe.

In yet another aspect, a system is disclosed. In one embodiment, thesystem includes (i) a controller entity, (ii) one or more distributedentities in data communication therewith via an HFC bearer.

In a further aspect of the disclosure, a method for providing high speeddata services to a device is described. In one embodiment, the methodincludes providing indoor wireless coverage via a wireless-enabled CPEbackhauled by an HFC network, and supplementing that capability via oneor more external (e.g., pole mounted) access nodes that arecommunicative with the CPE via an external antenna apparatus. In onevariant, the external access nodes are backhauled by the same HFCnetwork.

In another aspect, a computerized access node implementing one or moreof the foregoing aspects is disclosed and described. In one embodiment,the access node includes a wireless interface capable of datacommunication with a user device (e.g., UE). In one variant, the deviceis pole-mounted (e.g., on a telephone or utility pole), and further isconfigured to interface with a premises CPE via e.g., an antennaapparatus mounted on an exterior of the premises.

In another aspect, a computerized premises device implementing one ormore of the foregoing aspects is disclosed and described. In oneembodiment, the device includes a CPE having 5G NR capability, and isbackhauled via an extant coaxial cable drop. In one variant, the devicealso includes MIMO-enabled chipset adapted for receipt and processing ofthe frequency-shifted waveforms previously referenced.

In another aspect, a computerized device implementing one or more of theforegoing aspects is disclosed and described. In one embodiment, thedevice includes a personal or laptop computer. In another embodiment,the device includes a mobile device (e.g., tablet or smartphone). Inanother embodiment, the device includes a computerized “smart”television or rendering device.

In another aspect, an integrated circuit (IC) device implementing one ormore of the foregoing aspects is disclosed and described. In oneembodiment, the IC device is embodied as a SoC (system on Chip) device.In another embodiment, an ASIC (application specific IC) is used as thebasis of the device. In yet another embodiment, a chip set (i.e.,multiple ICs used in coordinated fashion) is disclosed. In yet anotherembodiment, the device includes a multi-logic block FPGA device.

In another aspect, a computer readable storage apparatus implementingone or more of the foregoing aspects is disclosed and described. In oneembodiment, the computer readable apparatus includes a program memory,or an EEPROM. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a solidstate drive (SSD) or other mass storage device. In another embodiment,the apparatus includes a USB or other “flash drive” or other suchportable removable storage device. In yet another embodiment, theapparatus includes a “cloud” (network) based storage device which isremote from yet accessible via a computerized user or client electronicdevice. In yet another embodiment, the apparatus includes a “fog”(network) based storage device which is distributed across multiplenodes of varying proximity and accessible via a computerized user orclient electronic device.

In a further aspect, an optical-to-coaxial cable transducer that cantransmit and receive 3GPP 4G LTE and 5G NR waveforms to multiple CPEthrough a single coaxial cable interface is disclosed.

In a further aspect, a method of introducing expanded data networkservices within a network infrastructure are disclosed. In oneembodiment, the network includes an HFC cable network, and the methodincludes (i) utilizing extant bearer media (e.g., coaxial cable topremises) as a primary backhaul for high speed data services, and (ii)subsequently using extant bearer media (e.g., coaxial cable or opticalfiber to extant wireless nodes such as cellular base stations) toprovide supplemental bandwidth/mobility services to the premises users.In another variant, the method further includes (iii) subsequentlyinstalling new optical fiber or other media to support backhaul of new(currently non-existent “pole mounted” or similar opportunistic accessnodes which support further user mobility for the users/subscribers ofthe network operator.

These and other aspects shall become apparent when considered in lightof the disclosure provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a functional block diagrams illustrating a typicalprior art managed (e.g., cable) content delivery network architecture.

FIG. 3a is a functional block diagram of a prior art gNB architectureincluding CU and multiple DUs.

FIG. 3b is a functional block diagram of a prior art NSA gNB and eLTEeNB architecture including a 5G NR Core (NGC).

FIG. 3c is a functional block diagram of another prior art NSA gNB andeLTE eNB architecture including a 5G NR Core (NGC).

FIG. 3d is a functional block diagram of another prior art NSA gNB andeLTE eNB architecture including an Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary MSO networkarchitecture comprising various features described herein.

FIG. 5a is a functional block diagram of one exemplary embodiment of agNB architecture including CUe and multiple DUes in standalone (SA)configuration, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5b is a functional block diagram of another exemplary embodiment ofa gNB architecture including multiple CUes and multiple correspondingDUes (SA), according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5c is a functional block diagram of yet another exemplaryembodiment of a gNB architecture including multiple CUes logicallycross-connected to multiple different cores (SA), according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5d is a functional block diagram of an NSA gNB and eLTE eNBarchitecture including a 5G NR Core (NGC) according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5e is a functional block diagram of an NSA gNB and LTE eNBarchitecture including an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5f is a functional block diagram of an NSA gNB and eLTE eNBarchitecture including an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) according to thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate exemplary downstream (DS) and upstream (US)data throughputs or rates as a function of distance within the HFC cableplant of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary generalconfiguration of a network node apparatus according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7a is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplaryimplementation of the network node apparatus according to the presentdisclosure, configured for 3GPP 4G and 5G capability.

FIG. 7b is a graphical representation of frequency spectrum allocationsaccording to prior art LTE/LTE-A and 5G NR standards.

FIG. 7c is a graphical representation of a frequency spectrum allocationaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary generalconfiguration of a CPEe apparatus according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 8a is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplaryimplementation of a CPEe apparatus according to the present disclosure,configured for 3GPP 4G and 5G capability.

FIG. 9 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of ageneralized method of utilizing an existing network (e.g., HFC) forhigh-bandwidth data communication.

FIG. 9a is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of waveform generation and transmission according to thegeneralized method of FIG. 9.

FIG. 9b is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of frequency and channel mapping according to the methodof FIG. 9 a.

FIG. 9c is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of content reception and digital processing by a CPEeaccording to the generalized method of FIG. 9.

FIG. 9d is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of content reception and transmission within a premisesby a CPEe according to the generalized method of FIG. 9.

All figures © Copyright 2017-2019 Charter Communications Operating, LLC.All rights reserved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout.

As used herein, the term “application” (or “app”) refers generally andwithout limitation to a unit of executable software that implements acertain functionality or theme. The themes of applications vary broadlyacross any number of disciplines and functions (such as on-demandcontent management, e-commerce transactions, brokerage transactions,home entertainment, calculator etc.), and one application may have morethan one theme. The unit of executable software generally runs in apredetermined environment; for example, the unit could include adownloadable Java Xlet™ that runs within the JavaTV™ environment.

As used herein, the term “central unit” or “CU” refers withoutlimitation to a centralized logical node within a wireless networkinfrastructure. For example, a CU might be embodied as a 5G/NR gNBCentral Unit (gNB-CU), which is a logical node hosting RRC, SDAP andPDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB thatcontrols the operation of one or more gNB-DUs, and which terminates theF1 interface connected with one or more DUs (e.g., gNB-DUs) definedbelow.

As used herein, the terms “client device” or “user device” or “UE”include, but are not limited to, set-top boxes (e.g., DSTBs), gateways,modems, personal computers (PCs), and minicomputers, whether desktop,laptop, or otherwise, and mobile devices such as handheld computers,PDAs, personal media devices (PMDs), tablets, “phablets”, smartphones,and vehicle infotainment systems or portions thereof.

As used herein, the term “computer program” or “software” is meant toinclude any sequence or human or machine cognizable steps which performa function. Such program may be rendered in virtually any programminglanguage or environment including, for example, C/C++, Fortran, COBOL,PASCAL, assembly language, markup languages (e.g., HTML, SGML, XML,VoXML), and the like, as well as object-oriented environments such asthe Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Java™ (includingJ2ME, Java Beans, etc.) and the like.

As used herein, the term “distributed unit” or “DU” refers withoutlimitation to a distributed logical node within a wireless networkinfrastructure. For example, a DU might be embodied as a 5G/NR gNBDistributed Unit (gNB-DU), which is a logical node hosting RLC, MAC andPHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlledby gNB-CU (referenced above). One gNB-DU supports one or multiple cells,yet a given cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminatesthe F1 interface connected with the gNB-CU.

As used herein, the term “DOCSIS” refers to any of the existing orplanned variants of the Data Over Cable Services InterfaceSpecification, including for example DOCSIS versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0and 3.1.

As used herein, the term “headend” or “backend” refers generally to anetworked system controlled by an operator (e.g., an MSO) thatdistributes programming to MSO clientele using client devices, orprovides other services such as high-speed data delivery and backhaul.

As used herein, the terms “Internet” and “internet” are usedinterchangeably to refer to inter-networks including, withoutlimitation, the Internet. Other common examples include but are notlimited to: a network of external servers, “cloud” entities (such asmemory or storage not local to a device, storage generally accessible atany time via a network connection, and the like), service nodes, accesspoints, controller devices, client devices, etc.

As used herein, the term “IoT device” refers without limitation toelectronic devices having one or more primary functions and beingconfigured to provide and/or receive data via one or more communicationprotocols. Examples of IoT devices include security or monitoringsystems, appliances, consumer electronics, vehicles, infrastructure(e.g., traffic signaling systems), and medical devices, as well asreceivers, hubs, proxy devices, or gateways used in associationtherewith.

As used herein, the term “IoT network” refers without limitation to anylogical, physical, or topological connection or aggregation of two ormore IoT devices (or one IoT device and one or more non-IoT devices).Examples of IoT networks include networks of one or more IoT devicesarranged in a peer-to-peer (P2P), star, ring, tree, mesh, master-slave,and coordinator-device topology.

As used herein, the term “LTE” refers to, without limitation and asapplicable, any of the variants or Releases of the Long-Term Evolutionwireless communication standard, including LTE-U (Long Term Evolution inunlicensed spectrum), LTE-LAA (Long Term Evolution, Licensed AssistedAccess), LTE-A (LTE Advanced), 4G LTE, WiMAX, VoLTE (Voice over LTE),and other wireless data standards.

As used herein, the term “memory” includes any type of integratedcircuit or other storage device adapted for storing digital dataincluding, without limitation, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, DRAM, SDRAM, DDR/2SDRAM, EDO/FPMS, RLDRAM, SRAM, “flash” memory (e.g., NAND/NOR), 3Dmemory, and PSRAM.

As used herein, the terms “microprocessor” and “processor” or “digitalprocessor” are meant generally to include all types of digitalprocessing devices including, without limitation, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computers (RISC),general-purpose (CISC) processors, microprocessors, gate arrays (e.g.,FPGAs), PLDs, reconfigurable computer fabrics (RCFs), array processors,secure microprocessors, and application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs). Such digital processors may be contained on a single unitary ICdie, or distributed across multiple components.

As used herein, the terms “MSO” or “multiple systems operator” refer toa cable, satellite, or terrestrial network provider havinginfrastructure required to deliver services including programming anddata over those mediums.

As used herein, the terms “MNO” or “mobile network operator” refer to acellular, satellite phone, WMAN (e.g., 802.16), or other network serviceprovider having infrastructure required to deliver services includingwithout limitation voice and data over those mediums. The term “MNO” asused herein is further intended to include MVNOs, MNVAs, and MVNEs.

As used herein, the terms “network” and “bearer network” refer generallyto any type of telecommunications or data network including, withoutlimitation, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks, satellite networks, telconetworks, and data networks (including MANs, WANs, LANs, WLANs,internets, and intranets). Such networks or portions thereof may utilizeany one or more different topologies (e.g., ring, bus, star, loop,etc.), transmission media (e.g., wired/RF cable, RF wireless, millimeterwave, optical, etc.) and/or communications technologies or networkingprotocols (e.g., SONET, DOCSIS, IEEE Std. 802.3, ATM, X.25, Frame Relay,3GPP, 3GPP2, LTE/LTE-A/LTE-U/LTE-LAA, SGNR, WAP, SIP, UDP, FTP,RTP/RTCP, H.323, etc.).

As used herein the terms “5G” and “New Radio (NR)” refer withoutlimitation to apparatus, methods or systems compliant with 3GPP Release15, and any modifications, subsequent Releases, or amendments orsupplements thereto which are directed to New Radio technology, whetherlicensed or unlicensed.

As used herein, the term “QAM” refers to modulation schemes used forsending signals over e.g., cable or other networks. Such modulationscheme might use any constellation level (e.g. QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM,256-QAM, etc.) depending on details of a network. A QAM may also referto a physical channel modulated according to the schemes.

As used herein, the term “server” refers to any computerized component,system or entity regardless of form which is adapted to provide data,files, applications, content, or other services to one or more otherdevices or entities on a computer network.

As used herein, the term “storage” refers to without limitation computerhard drives, DVR device, memory, RAID devices or arrays, optical media(e.g., CD-ROMs, Laserdiscs, Blu-Ray, etc.), or any other devices ormedia capable of storing content or other information.

As used herein, the term “Wi-Fi” refers to, without limitation and asapplicable, any of the variants of IEEE Std. 802.11 or related standardsincluding 802.11 a/b/g/n/s/v/ac/ax, 802.11-2012/2013 or 802.11-2016, aswell as Wi-Fi Direct (including inter alia, the “Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer(P2P) Specification”, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

Overview

In one exemplary aspect, the present disclosure provides improvedarchitectures, methods and apparatus for providing enhanced ultra-highdata rate services which, inter alia, leverage existing managed network(e.g., cable network) infrastructure. The disclosed architectures enablea highly uniform user-experience regardless of the environment (e.g.,indoor/outdoor/mobility), in which content is consumed and eliminatesthe need to distinguish between fixed-broadband and mobile-broadband, orthe foregoing and IoT. These capabilities are provided in exemplaryembodiments over a single coaxial cable drop to a premises, and via asingle CPE chipset. In some variants, NSA operation (consistent with3GPP Release 15 for 5G NR) is further advantageously supported.

It one exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned capabilities areprovided via multiple parallel MIMO data streams supported by 3GPP 5GNR; specifically, these streams are shifted in frequency (such as via atransceiver node within the MSO infrastructure) before being injectedinto the single coaxial cable feeder, so that frequency diversity(instead of the spatial diversity associated with the separate datastreams intended for respective wireless antenna elements) is leveragedto achieve the maximum total carrier bandwidth ostensibly enabled byincipient 3GPP 5G NR chipsets.

Also, since higher frequencies attenuate much more over the coaxialtransmission media than lower frequencies, Intermediate Frequencies (IF)are transmitted over the media in one implementation, (i.e., instead ofhigher frequencies), and block-conversion to RF carrier frequency isemployed subsequently in the enhanced consumer premises equipment (CPEe)for 3GPP band-compliant interoperability with the 3GPP 5G NR chipset inthe disclosed enhanced CPE (CPEe).

The IF carriers injected by the transceiver node into the coaxial feedercan be received by multiple CPEe in parallel, via a shared feeder usedas a common bus and having directional couplers and power dividers ortaps. Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) downstream transmissions from thetransceiver node to the CPEe are achieved in one variant by schedulingpayload for different CPEe on different 3GPP 5G NR physical resourceblocks (PRBs) which are separated in frequency.

In one implementation, the majority of bandwidth available on thecoaxial cable is used in Time Division Duplex (TDD) fashion to switchbetween downstream and upstream 5G NR communications. Upstreamcommunications from the multiple CPEe to the transceiver node(s) canalso occur simultaneously, such as over separate PRBs (using inter alia,frequency separation).

In order to support the aforementioned 4G/5G NSA configuration, a minorportion of the lower frequency spectrum is allocated to such functionsin one embodiment of the architecture. Another minor portion of thelower frequency spectrum on the coaxial cable employs one-waycommunication in the downstream (DS) direction for the transmission oftwo digital synchronization channels, one for 5G and one for 4G, whichare in one implementation I-Q multiplexed onto one QPSK analogsynchronization channel from the transceiver node to the multiple inlineamplifiers and any CPEe that may be sharing the coaxial bus.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and methods of the presentdisclosure are now described in detail. While these exemplaryembodiments are described in the context of the previously mentionedwireless access nodes (e.g., gNBs and eNBs) associated with or supportedat least in part by a managed network of a service provider (e.g., MSO),other types of radio access technologies (“RATs”), other types ofnetworks and architectures that are configured to deliver digital data(e.g., text, images, games, software applications, video and/or audio)may be used consistent with the present disclosure. Such other networksor architectures may be broadband, narrowband, or otherwise, thefollowing therefore being merely exemplary in nature.

It will also be appreciated that while described generally in thecontext of a network providing service to a customer or consumer or enduser or subscriber (i.e., within a prescribed service area, venue, orother type of premises), the present disclosure may be readily adaptedto other types of environments including, e.g., commercial/retail, orenterprise domain (e.g., businesses), or even governmental uses. Yetother applications are possible.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will immediatelybe recognized by persons of ordinary skill in the art with reference tothe attached drawings and detailed description of exemplary embodimentsas given below.

Service Provider Network Architecture—

Referring now to FIG. 4, one embodiment of an enhanced service providernetwork architecture 400 is shown and described in detail.

As illustrated, the architecture 400 includes one or more hubs 405within the MSO network (e.g., whether near edge portions of the network,or further towards the core), including a 5G NR core (5GC) 403. The hub405 includes a WLAN controller process 415, and services one or more“enhanced” nodes 401, which each include a gNB CUe 404 and a networkradio node 409, described in greater detail below. The nodes 401 utilizeHFC infrastructure, including N-way taps 412 to deliver RF waveforms tothe various served premises (including the enhanced CPE or CPEe) 413 andultimately the user device(s) 407 (e.g., 3GPP-enabled UEs).

Also serviced by the node 401 are one or more non-CUe enabled nodes 411including 4G/4.5G/5G enabled network radio nodes 409, which serviceadditional premises as shown.

In the illustrated embodiment, the nodes 401, 411 are backhauled byoptical fiber, although this is merely illustrative, as other types ofbackhauls including e.g., high-bandwidth wireless may be used consistentwith the present disclosure.

Similarly, one or more pole-mounted radio nodes 406 a (and potentiallyother mobile client devices enabled for DU-type functionalities; e.g.,authorized to receive data from another node or client device, andbroadcast/receive signals according to the user domain frequency band)are backhauled to the MSO network via optical fiber (or other medium);these nodes 406 provide, inter alia, supplemental capacity/coverage forboth indoor and outdoor (and mobility) scenarios as described in greaterdetail below.

In one exemplary embodiment, radio nodes 406 a are located on an “edge”of a network (i.e., functioning as a network node proximate to thepremises and away from the core), and are enabled for 4G and/or 5Gcommunications as described in greater detail below. A given DU thatprovides 5G coverage to the premises thereby supplements the ultra-lowlatency and high-bandwidth services by the CUe 404. Moreover, asdescribed further below, the CUe may be logically and functionallygrouped with one or more DUes 406 to together make up a gNB. Prescribedunlicensed and/or licensed frequency bands are utilized by the nodes 406a. For example, in one implementation, the disclosed solution supportsone or more prescribed subsets of NR and NR-U band combinations asdefined by 3GPP, depending on the particular application(s) anticipatedby the installation and the locale in which it is installed (includingfor example whether other operators or carriers such as MNOs areutilizing licensed spectrum within the prescribed area, and whichfrequency bands such operators are using). It will also be appreciatedthat so-called “quasi-licensed” spectrum (such as for instance thatwithin the 3.55-3.70 GHz CBRS bands in the U.S.) may be utilizedconsistent with the methods and apparatus described herein.

In one variant, as noted above, mobile devices may function asintermediary nodes or transient “jumping points.” Such devices may bethose owned by subscribers of the hub or core providing the managednetwork services who have opted into (or not opted out) of use of theireligible devices as nodes. In other variants, devices owned bysubscribers of a different core (e.g., managed by a different entity)may be included in the network of nodes. As an aside, such networkingschemes are often generally referred to as “fog networking,” adecentralized computing infrastructure in which data, computations,storage, and applications are distributed in an efficient manner betweenthe data source and the destination (e.g., a “cloud” server, premisesequipment, end user device) as opposed to a more highly centralizedarchitecture.

A Wi-Fi router device 417 is also present in the served premises toprovide WLAN coverage, in conjunction with the controller 415 at the hub405. The centralized Wi-Fi controller 415 is also utilized in theexemplary architecture 400 for tight-interworking and better mobilitybetween the 3GPP and Wi-Fi access technologies where the Wi-Fi router iseither integrated with the consumer premises equipment (e.g., enhancedCPE or CPEe) or connected to it. In various embodiments, one or moreintermediary nodes (e.g., radio node 406 a) located between the CUe 404and the served premises are utilized to provide additional coverage andbandwidth to the premises. Then, mobility between the 3GPP and Wi-Fichannels for any user can be triggered for the best data throughput,such as based on (i) estimation of the RF quality of the Wi-Fi channeltoward the user, and/or (ii) the degree of congestion of the Wi-Firouter, and not just the Wi-Fi received signal strength indicators(RSSI) measured at the mobile device, the latter which may not berepresentative of the service quality that can be obtained by the user.

In the exemplary configuration, the controller (e.g., Wi-Fi Controller415) is configured to choose the best (optimal) wireless connectionavailable to it based on performance (as opposed to coverage/coveragearea alone). Typically today, a preferred method of access ispredetermined based on its received signal strength and/or as apreferred means (e.g. Wi-Fi could be defined as the preferred method ofaccess to off-load the mobile wireless network). However, this methodsuffers from the drawback of blind ‘stickiness’ to a technology, withoutconsidering the end user experience. Given that in exemplary embodimentsof the architecture described herein, both Wi-Fi and licensed/unlicensed3GPP access technologies are both controlled by the network operator(e.g. MSO), there is no need to prefer an access method, such as topurely to offload a user's traffic. The decision to offload or steer auser to a given access technology, can be based upon other criteria,such as e.g., a select set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such asthe user perceived latency, throughput, packet loss, jitter andbit/packet/frame error rates as measured in real-time at any given layer(e.g., L1, L2 or L3) by the network. For instance, in oneimplementation, once a target KPI threshold is triggered, the switchingof the user can be triggered by either the AMF function (for 3GPP) orWi-Fi Controller. This switching may then trigger a sessionestablishment at the alternate access medium to transfer the user tothat technology. This helps optimize QoE for connected users, since thecontroller will always be attempting to holistically optimize theconnection versus merely making decisions based on coverage or signalstrength alone.

This architecture also obviates the problematic transition betweenpremises Wi-Fi and cellular, thereby enabling content consumption whilethe user is mobile, with no reduction in QoE or interruptions due toe.g., new session establishment in the cellular network. This isaccomplished by, inter alia, communication between the Wi-Fi controller415 and the CUe 404, such that the CUe can remain cognizant of bothWi-Fi and 3GPP channel status, performance and availability.Advantageously, in exemplary embodiments, the foregoing enhancedmobility is provided without the need for any module or customizedapplication software or protocols of the user device (e.g., mobile UE),since all communication sessions (whether between the CPEe and the UE,or the supplemental radio access node and the UE) are both (i)controlled by a common system, and (ii) utilize extant 3GPP (e.g.,4G/4.5G/5G) protocols and architectural elements. In one variant a GPRSTunneling Protocol (GTP) is utilized for maintenance of sessioncontinuity between the heterogeneous RAN technologies (e.g., 3GPP andIEEE Std. 802.11). In another variant, a PMIP (Proxy Mobile IP) basedapproach is utilized for session maintenance/handover. In yet a furthervariant, techniques described in 3GPP TS 23.234 v13.1.0, “3GPP system toWireless Local Area Network (WLAN) interworking; System description(Release 13),” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, (aka“I-WLAN”) based approach is utilized for these purposes. As will beappreciated by those of ordinary skill given the present disclosure,combinations of the foregoing mechanisms may be utilized as well,depending on the particular application (including the two heterogeneoustechnologies that are party to the session maintenance/handoff).

The MSO network architecture 400 of FIG. 4 is particularly useful forthe delivery of packetized content (e.g., encoded digital contentcarried within a packet or frame structure or protocol) consistent withthe various aspects of the present disclosure. In addition to on-demandand broadcast content (e.g., live video programming), the system of FIG.4 may deliver Internet data and OTT (over-the-top) services to the endusers (including those of the DUe's 406 a) via the Internet protocol(IP) and TCP (i.e., over the 5G radio bearer), although other protocolsand transport mechanisms of the type well known in the digitalcommunication art may be substituted.

The architecture 400 of FIG. 4 further provides a consistent andseamless user experience with IPTV over both wireline and wirelessinterfaces. Additionally, in the IP paradigm, dynamic switching betweenunicast delivery and multicast/broadcast is used based on e.g., localdemand. For instance, where a single user (device) is requestingcontent, an IP unicast can be utilized. For multiple devices (i.e., withmultiple different IP addresses, such as e.g., different premises),multicast can be utilized. This approach provides for efficient andresponsive switching of delivery and obviates other moreequipment/CAPEX-intensive approaches.

Moreover, the architecture can be used for both broadband data deliveryas well as “content” (e.g., movie channels) simultaneously, and obviatesmuch of the prior separate infrastructure for “in band” and DOCSIS (and00B) transport. Specifically, with DOCSIS (even FDX DOCSIS), bandwidthis often allocated for video QAMs, and a “split” is hard-coded fordownstream and upstream data traffic. This hard split is typicallyimplemented across all network elements—even amplifiers. In contrast,under the exemplary configuration of the architecture disclosed herein,effectively all traffic traversing the architecture is IP-based, andhence in many cases there is no need to allocate QAMs and frequencysplits for different program or data streams. This “all-IP” approachenables flexible use of the available bandwidth on the transmissionmedium for all applications dynamically, based on for instance thedemand of each such application at any given period or point in time.

In certain embodiments, the service provider network 400 alsoadvantageously permits the aggregation and/or analysis of subscriber- oraccount-specific data (including inter alia, correlation of particularCUe or DUe or E-UTRAN eNB/femtocell devices associated with suchsubscriber or accounts) as part of the provision of services to usersunder the exemplary delivery models described herein. As but oneexample, device-specific IDs (e.g., gNB ID, Global gNB Identifier, NCGI,MAC address or the like) can be cross-correlated to MSO subscriber datamaintained at e.g., the network head end(s) 407 so as to permit or atleast facilitate, among other things, (i) user/device authentication tothe MSO network; (ii) correlation of aspects of the area, premises orvenue where service is provided to particular subscriber capabilities,demographics, or equipment locations, such as for delivery oflocation-specific or targeted content or advertising or 5G “slicing”configuration or delivery; and (iii) determination of subscriptionlevel, and hence subscriber privileges and access to certain services asapplicable.

Moreover, device profiles for particular devices (e.g., 3GPP 5g NR andWLAN-enabled UE, or the CPEe 413 and any associated antenna 416, etc.)can be maintained by the MSO, such that the MSO (or its automated proxyprocesses) can model the device for wireless or other capabilities. Forinstance, one (non-supplemented) CPEe 413 may be modeled as havingbandwidth capability of X Gbps, while another premises' supplementedCPEe may be modeled as having bandwidth capability of X+Y Gbps, andhence the latter may be eligible for services or “slices” that are notavailable to the former.

As a brief aside, the 5G technology defines a number of networkfunctions (NFs), which include the following:

1. Access and Mobility Management function (AMF)—Provides fortermination of NAS signaling, NAS integrity protection and ciphering,registration and connection and mobility management, accessauthentication and authorization, and security context management. TheAMF has functions analogous to part of the MME functionality of theprior Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

2. Application Function (AF)—Manages application influence on trafficrouting, accessing NEF, interaction with policy framework for policycontrol. The NR AF is comparable to the AF in EPC.

3. Authentication Server Function (AUSF)—Provides authentication serverfunctionality. The AUSF is similar to portions of the HSS from EPC.

4. Network Exposure function (NEF)—Manages exposure of capabilities andevents, secure provision of information from external applications to3GPP network, translation of internal/external information. The NEF is awholly new entity as compared to EPC.

5. Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)—Provides for selection of theNetwork Slice instances to serve the UE, determining the allowed NSSAI,determining the AMF set to be used to serve the UE. The NSSF is a whollynew entity as compared to EPC.

6. NF Repository function (NRF)—Supports the service discovery function,maintains NF profile and available NF instances The NRF is a wholly newentity as compared to EPC.

7. Policy Control Function (PCF)—Provides a unified policy framework,providing policy rules to CP functions, and access subscriptioninformation for policy decisions in UDR. The PCF has part of the PCRFfunctionality from EPC.

8. Session Management function (SMF)—Provides for session management(session establishment, modification, release), IP address allocation &management for UEs, DHCP functions, termination of NAS signaling relatedto session management, DL data notification, traffic steeringconfiguration for UPF for proper traffic routing. The SMF includesportions of the MME and PGW functionality from EPC.

9. Unified Data Management (UDM)—Supports generation of Authenticationand Key Agreement (AKA) credentials, user identification handling,access authorization, subscription management. This comprises a portionof HSS functionality from EPC.

10. User plane function (UPF)—The UPF provides packet routing &forwarding, packet inspection, QoS handling, and also acts as anexternal PDU session point of interconnect to Data Network (DN). The UPFmay also act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility.The UPF includes some of the prior SGW and PGW functionality from EPC.

Within the 5G NR architecture, the control plane (CP) and user plane(UP) functionality is divided within the core network or NGC (NextGeneration Core). For instance, the 5G UPF discussed above supports UPdata processing, while other nodes support CP functions. This dividedapproach advantageously allows for, inter alia, independent scaling ofCP and UP functions. Additionally, network slices can be tailored tosupport different services, such as for instance those described hereinwith respect to session handover between e.g., WLAN and 3GPP NR, andsupplemental links to the CPEe.

In addition to the NFs described above, a number of differentidentifiers are used in the NG-RAN architecture, including those of UE'sand for other network entities, and may be assigned to various entitiesdescribed herein. Specifically:

-   -   the AMF Identifier (AMF ID) is used to identify an AMF (Access        and Mobility Management Function);    -   the NR Cell Global Identifier (NCGI), is used to identify NR        cells globally, and is constructed from the PLMN identity to        which the cell belongs, and the NR Cell Identity (NCI) of the        cell;    -   the gNB Identifier (gNB ID) is used to identify gNBs within a        PLMN, and is contained within the NCI of its cells;    -   the Global gNB ID, which is used to identify gNBs globally, and        is constructed from the PLMN identity to which the gNB belongs,        and the gNB ID;    -   the Tracking Area identity (TAI), which is used to identify        tracking areas, and is constructed from the PLMN identity to        which the tracking area belongs, and the TAC (Tracking Area        Code) of the Tracking Area; and    -   the Single Network Slice Selection Assistance information        (S-NSSAI), which is used to identify a network slice.        Hence, depending on what data is useful to the MSO or its        customers, various portions of the foregoing can be associated        and stored to particular gNB “clients” or their components being        backhauled by the MSO network.

Distributed gNB Architectures

In the context of FIG. 4, the DUe's described herein may assume anynumber of forms and functions relative to the enhanced CPE (CPEe) 413and the radio node 406 a (e.g., pole mounted external device).Recognizing that generally speaking, “DU” and “CU” refer to 3GPPstandardized features and functions, these features and functions can,so long as supported in the architecture 400 of FIG. 4, be implementedin any myriad number of ways and/or locations. Moreover, enhancementsand/or extensions to these components (herein referred to as CUe andDUe) and their functions provided by the present disclosure may likewisebe distributed at various nodes and locations throughout thearchitecture 400, the illustrated locations and dispositions beingmerely exemplary.

Notably, the “enhanced” NR-based gNB architecture utilizes existinginfrastructure (e.g., at least a portion of the extant HFC cablingcontrolled by an MSO such as the Assignee hereof) while expanding thefrequency spectrum used for signal propagation within the infrastructure(e.g., 1.6 GHz in total bandwidth). Moreover, access points or nodesinstalled at venues or premises, especially “edge”-based nodes (at leastsome of which may be controlled, licensed, installed, or leased by theMSO), may be leveraged to deliver 5G-based services to a subscriber ofthe 5G NR Core (e.g., 403). Fog-based networking made possible throughthis leveraged infrastructure allows the subscriber to access receiveand maintain 5G service whether indoor or outdoor, and in fact, evenwhile the subscriber is changing locations, e.g., moving indoor tooutdoor, outdoor to indoor, between servicing nodes indoors (e.g.,within a large house, office or housing complex, or venue), and betweenservicing nodes outdoors. Other nodes may be leveraged, including other5G-enabled mobile devices that have opted into (or not opted out of)participating in the fog network. In effect, the ubiquity of mobiledevices creates a peer-to-peer network for distribution and delivery ofultra-low-latency (e.g., 1 ms ping) and ultra-high-speed (e.g., 10 Gbpsor higher) connectivity. In many cases, utilizing one or moreparticipating peer devices results in faster service (e.g., greatlyreduced ping) by obviating the need to reach a cell tower, a server, ora gateway that is resident in the backend portion of a cloud-typenetwork.

Notably, the principles described further below enable a subscriber tomaintain the 5G service (or any other 3GPP- or IEEE 802.11-basedconnectivity) without the signals dropping or disconnecting betweensessions. In other words, “seamless” transfer of connectivity betweennodes (akin to handovers) is made possible despite a difference in atleast a portion of wireless data communications standards that may beutilized by the nodes. For instance, a CPEe and a DUe disposed near the“edge” of the network (i.e., near consumer premises) may each be capableof communicating data with, e.g., a mobile user device, via either orboth 3GPP- and IEEE 802.11-based protocols. A subscriber, however, wouldnot require a reconnection process with a different base station ormodem (as opposed to, e.g., establishing connection to cellular dataservices when outside the range of a Wi-Fi AP, or connecting back to theWi-Fi AP when entering the premises), invoking a “seamless” feel andfurther increasing the user experience.

By virtue of the way the frequency spectra used in existinginfrastructure is accessed, such enhanced gNB architecture providessalient advantages to a subscriber thereof, such as improvedconnectivity speeds (e.g., data rates, response times, latency) andseamless mobility of user devices as noted above and described furtherbelow, thus significantly improving user experience relative tocurrently available services. Further, the operator of such anarchitecture may advantageously save costs of connecting new cables andpipes across long distances by obviating the need to overhaul theinfrastructure itself.

Accordingly, referring now to FIGS. 5a-5f , various embodiments of thedistributed (CUe/DUe) gNB architecture according to the presentdisclosure are described. As shown in FIG. 5a , a first architecture 520includes a gNB 401 having an enhanced CU (CUe) 404 and a plurality ofenhanced DUs (DUe) 406, 406 a. As described in greater detailsubsequently herein, these enhanced entities are enabled to permitinter-process signaling and high data rate, low latency services,whether autonomously or under control of another logical entity (such asthe NG Core 403 with which the gNB communicates, or components thereof),as well as unified mobility and IoT services.

The individual DUe's 406, 406 a in FIG. 5a communicate data andmessaging with the CUe 4044 via interposed physical communicationinterfaces 528 and logical interfaces 530. As previously described, suchinterfaces may include a user plane and control plane, and be embodiedin prescribed protocols such as F1AP. Operation of each DUe and CUe aredescribed in greater detail subsequently herein; however, it will benoted that in this embodiment, one CUe 404 is associated with one ormore DUe's 406, 406 a, yet a given DUe is only associated with a singleCUe. Likewise, the single CUe 404 is communicative with a single NG Core403, such as that operated by an MSO. Each NG Core may have multiplegNBs 401 associated therewith (e.g., of the type shown in FIG. 4).

In the architecture 540 of FIG. 5b , two or more gNBs 401 a-n arecommunicative with one another via e.g., an Xn interface 527, andaccordingly can conduct at least CUe to CUe data transfer andcommunication. Separate NG Cores 403 a-n are used for control and userplane (and other) functions of the network.

In the architecture 560 of FIG. 5c , two or more gNBs 401 a-n arecommunicative with one another via e.g., the Xn interface 527, andaccordingly can conduct at least CUe to CUe data transfer andcommunication. Moreover, the separate NG Cores 403 a-n are logically“cross-connected” to the gNBs 401 of one or more other NG Cores, suchthat one core can utilize/control the infrastructure of another, andvice versa. This may be in “daisy chain” fashion (i.e., one gNB iscommunicative one other NG Core other than its own, and that NG Core iscommunicate with yet one additional gNB 401 other than its own, and soforth), or the gNBs and NG Cores may form a “mesh” topology wheremultiple Cores 403 are in communication with multiple gNBs or multipledifferent entities (e.g., service providers). Yet other topologies willbe recognized by those of ordinary skill given the present disclosure.This cross-connection approach advantageously allows for, inter alia,sharing of infrastructure between two MSOs, or between MNO and MSO,which is especially useful in e.g., dense deployment environments whichmay not be able to support multiple sets of RAN infrastructure, such asfor different service providers.

FIGS. 5d-5f relate to so-called NSA architectures contemplated during,inter alia, migration or transition between 4G/4.5G and 5G technology.Note that per 3GPP Release 15, some new definitions of entities havebeen introduced, including: (i) LTE eNB—An eNB device that can connectto the EPC and the extant pre-Release 15 LTE core network; (ii) eLTEeNB—An evolution of the LTE eNB—the eLTE eNB can connect to the EPC andthe 5GC; (iii) NG—A data interface between the NGC and the gNB; (iv)NG2—A control plane (CP) interface between core network and the RAN(corresponding to S1-C in LTE); and (v) NG3—A user plane (UP) interfacebetween the core network and the RAN (corresponding to S1-U in LTE).

In a “standalone” or SA scenario (e.g., FIGS. 5a-5c above), the 5G NR orthe evolved LTE radio cells and the core network are operated alone, andare used for both control plane and user plane. The SA configuration ismore simplified than NSA from an operational and management standpoint.Moreover, pure SA networks can operate independently using normalinter-generation handover between 4G and 5G for service continuity.Three variations of SA are defined in 3GPP: (i) Option 1 using EPC andLTE eNB access (i.e. as per current 4G LTE networks); (ii) Option 2using 5GC and NR gNB access; and (iii) Option 5 using 5GC and LTE ng-eNBaccess.

As previously described with respect to FIGS. 3b-3d , in non-standalone(NSA) scenarios, the NR radio cells are effectively integrated orcombined with LTE radio cells using dual connectivity to provide radioaccess. In the case of NSA, the radio network core network may be eitherEPC or 5GC, depending on the particular choice of the operator.

FIG. 5d illustrates an NSA gNB and eLTE eNB architecture including a 5GNR Core (NGC) according to the present disclosure. In this architecture570, the NG Core 403 communicates with the gNB 401 with CUe and DUe's,as well as supporting an eLTE eNB 316 for the user plane. Control planefunctions for the eLTE eNB are supported by the gNB 401.

FIG. 5e illustrates an NSA gNB and LTE eNB architecture including anEvolved Packet Core (EPC) according to the present disclosure. In thisarchitecture 580, an EPC (EP Core) 303, 333 communicates with the gNB401 with CUe and DUe's for user plane function, as well as supporting anLTE eNB 317 (i.e., an non-5G communicative NodeB) for the user plane andcontrol plane.

FIG. 5f illustrates an NSA gNB and eLTE eNB architecture including anEvolved Packet Core (EPC) according to the present disclosure. In thisarchitecture 590, an EPC (EP Core) 303, 333 communicates with the gNB401 with CUe and DUe's for user plane function, as well as supporting aneLTE eNB 316 (i.e., a 5G communicative NodeB) for the user plane andcontrol plane.

It will also be appreciated that while described primarily with respectto a unitary gNB-CUe entity or device 401 as shown in FIGS. 5-5 f, thepresent disclosure is in no way limited to such architectures. Forexample, the techniques described herein may be implemented as part of adistributed or dis-aggregated or distributed CUe entity (e.g., onewherein the user plane and control plane functions of the CUe aredis-aggregated or distributed across two or more entities such as aCUe-C (control) and CUe-U (user)), and/or other functional divisions areemployed, including in NSA-based architectures.

It is also noted that heterogeneous architectures of eNBs or femtocells(i.e., E-UTRAN LTE/LTE-A Node B's or base stations, including eLTE eNBs316) and gNBs may be utilized consistent with the architectures of FIGS.5-5 f. For instance, a given DUe may (in addition to supporting nodeoperations as discussed in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 7-7 abelow), act (i) solely as a DUe (i.e., 5G NR PHY node) and operateoutside of an E-UTRAN macrocell, or (ii) be physically co-located withan eNB or femtocell and provide NR coverage within a portion of the eNBmacrocell coverage area, or (iii) be physically non-colocated with theeNB or femtocell, but still provide NR coverage within the macrocellcoverage area.

In accordance with the 5G NR model, the DUe(s) 406, 406 a compriselogical nodes that each may include varying subsets of the gNBfunctions, depending on the functional split option. DUe operation iscontrolled by the CUe 404 (and ultimately for some functions by the NGCore 303). Split options between the DUe and CUe in the presentdisclosure may include for example:

-   -   Option 1 (RRC/PCDP split)    -   Option 2 (PDCP/RLC split)    -   Option 3 (Intra RLC split)    -   Option 4 (RLC-MAC split)    -   Option 5 (Intra MAC split)    -   Option 6 (MAC-PHY split)    -   Option 7 (Intra PHY split)    -   Option 8 (PHY-RF split)

Under Option 1 (RRC/PDCP split), the RRC (radio resource control) is inthe CUe while PDCP (packet data convergence protocol), RLC (radio linkcontrol), MAC, physical layer (PHY) and RF are kept in the DUe, therebymaintaining the entire user plane in the distributed unit.

Under Option 2 (PDCP/RLC split), there are two possible variants: (i)RRC, PDCP maintained in the CUe, while RLC, MAC, physical layer and RFare in the DU(s); and (ii) RRC, PDCP in the CUe (with split user planeand control plane stacks), and RLC, MAC, physical layer and RF in theDUe's.

Under Option 3 (Intra RLC Split), two splits are possible: (i) splitbased on ARQ; and (ii) split based on TX RLC and RX RLC.

Under Option 4 (RLC-MAC split), RRC, PDCP, and RLC are maintained in theCUe 404, while MAC, physical layer, and RF are maintained in the DUe's.

Under Option 5 (Intra-MAC split), RF, physical layer and lower part ofthe MAC layer (Low-MAC) are in the DUe's 406, 406 a, while the higherpart of the MAC layer (High-MAC), RLC and PDCP are in the CUe 404.

Under Option 6 (MAC-PHY split), the MAC and upper layers are in the CUe,while the PHY layer and RF are in the DUe's. The interface between theCUe and DUe's carries data, configuration, and scheduling-relatedinformation (e.g. Modulation and Coding Scheme or MCS, layer mapping,beamforming and antenna configuration, radio and resource blockallocation, etc.) as well as measurements.

Under Option 7 (Intra-PHY split), different sub-options for UL (uplink)and DL downlink) may occur independently. For example, in the UL, FFT(Fast Fourier Transform) and CP removal may reside in the DUe's, whileremaining functions reside in the CUe 404. In the DL, iFFT and CPaddition may reside in the DUe, while the remainder of the PHY residesin the CUe.

Finally, under Option 8 (PHY-RF split), the RF and the PHY layer may beseparated to, inter alia, permit the centralization of processes at allprotocol layer levels, resulting in a high degree of coordination of theRAN. This allows optimized support of functions such as CoMP, MIMO, loadbalancing, and mobility.

Generally speaking, the foregoing split options are intended to enableflexible hardware implementations which allow scalable cost-effectivesolutions, as well as coordination for e.g., performance features, loadmanagement, and real-time performance optimization. Moreoverconfigurable functional splits enable dynamic adaptation to various usecases and operational scenarios. Factors considered in determininghow/when to implement such options can include: (i) QoS requirements foroffered services (e.g. low latency to support 5G RAN requirements, highthroughput); (ii) support of requirements for user density and loaddemand per given geographical area (which may affect RAN coordination);(iii) availability of transport and backhaul networks with differentperformance levels; (iv) application type (e.g. real-time or non-realtime); (v) feature requirements at the Radio Network level (e.g. CarrierAggregation).

It is also noted that the “DU” functionality referenced in the varioussplit options above can itself be split across the DUe and itsdownstream components, such as the RF stages of the node 409 (see FIGS.7 and 7 a) and/or the CPEe 413. As such, the present disclosurecontemplates embodiments where some of the functionality typically foundwithin the DUe may be distributed to the node/CPEe.

It will further be recognized that user-plane data/traffic may also berouted and delivered apart from the CUe. In one implementation(described above), the CUe hosts both the RRC (control-plane) and PDCP(user-plane); however, as but one alternate embodiment, a so-called“dis-aggregated” CUe may be utilized, wherein a CUe-CP entity (i.e.,CUe—control plane) hosts only the RRC related functions, and a CUe-UP(CUe—user plane) which is configured to host only PDCP/SDAP (user-plane)functions. The CUe-CP and CUe-UP entities can, in one variant, interfacedata and inter-process communications via an E1 data interface, althoughother approaches for communication may be used.

It will also be appreciated that the CUe-CP and CUe-UP may be controlledand/or operated by different entities, such as where one serviceprovider or network operator maintains cognizance/control over theCUe-UP, and another over the CUe-CP, and the operations of the twocoordinated according to one or more prescribed operational or servicepolicies or rules.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the exemplary embodiment of the DUe 409 is astrand-mounted or buried DUe (along with the downstream radio chain(s),the latter which may include one or more partial or complete RRH's(remote radio heads) which include at least portions of the PHYfunctionality of the node (e.g., analog front end, DAC/ADCs, etc.). Ascan be appreciated, the location and configuration of each DUe/node maybe altered to suit operational requirements such as population density,available electrical power service (e.g., in rural areas), presence ofother closely located or co-located radio equipment, geographicfeatures, etc.

As discussed with respect to FIGS. 7-7 a below, the nodes 406, 406 a inthe embodiment of FIG. 5 include multiple OFDM-basedtransmitter-receiver chains of 800 MHz nominal bandwidth, although thisconfiguration is merely exemplary. In operation, the node generateswaveforms that are transmitted in the allocated band (e.g., up toapproximately 1.6 GHz), but it will be appreciated that if desired, theOFDM signals may in effect be operated in parallel with signals carriedin the below-800 MHz band, such as for normal cable system operations.

As shown in FIG. 4, in one implementation, each node (and hence DUe) isin communication with its serving CUe via an F1 interface, and may beeither co-located or not co-located with the CUe. For example, anode/DUe may be positioned within the MSO HFC infrastructure proximate adistribution node within the extant HFC topology, such as before theN-way tap point 412, such that a plurality of premises (e.g., the shownresidential customers) can be served by the node/DUe via theaforementioned OFDM waveforms and extant HFC plant. In certainembodiments, each node/DUe 406, 406 a is located closer to the edge ofthe network, so as to service one or more venues or residences (e.g., abuilding, room, or plaza for commercial, corporate, academic purposes,and/or any other space suitable for wireless access). For instance, inthe context of FIG. 4, a node might even comprise a CPEe or externalaccess node (each discussed elsewhere herein). Each radio node 406 isconfigured to provide wireless network coverage within its coverage orconnectivity range for its RAT (e.g., 4G and/or 5G NR). For example, avenue may have a wireless NR modem (radio node) installed within theentrance thereof for prospective customers to connect to, includingthose in the parking lot via inter alia, their NR or LTE-enabledvehicles or personal devices of operators thereof.

Notably, different classes of DUe/node 406, 406 a may be utilized. Forinstance, a putative “Class A” LTE eNB may transmit up X dbm, while a“Class-B” LTE eNBs can transmit up to Y dbm (Y>X), so the average areacan vary widely. In practical terms, a Class-A device may have a workingrange on the order of hundreds of feet, while a Class B device mayoperate out to thousands of feet or more, the propagation and workingrange dictated by a number of factors, including the presence of RF orother interferers, physical topology of the venue/area, energy detectionor sensitivity of the receiver, etc. Similarly, different types ofNR-enabled nodes/DUe 406, 406 a can be used depending on these factors,whether alone or with other wireless PHYs such as WLAN, etc.

Moreover, using the architecture of FIG. 4, data may be deliveredredundantly or separately via the radio access node 406 a as well as theCPEe 413 via one or more DUe units 406 a, depending on the location ofthe client device 407, thereby enabling the client device to haveconstant access to the requested data when in range of the servingnode/device. For instance, in one scenario, the supplemental link isused to maintain a separate data session simultaneously even withoutmobility; i.e., one session via PHY1 for Service A, and anothersimultaneous session via PHY2 for Service B (as opposed to handover ofService A from PHY1 to PHY2). In one implementation, extant 3GPP LTE-Amulti-band carrier aggregation (CA) protocols are leveraged, wherein thesupplemental link acts as a Secondary Cell or “SCell” to the PrimaryCell or “PCell” presently serving the user from inside thehome/building, or vice versa (e.g., the supplemental link can act as thePCell, and the SCell added thereafter via e.g., the premises node). Seeinter alia, 3GPP TR 36.808, “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access(E-UTRA); Carrier Aggregation; Base Station (BS) radio transmission andreception,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Signal Attenuation and Bandwidth

FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate exemplary downstream (DS) and upstream (US)data throughputs or rates as a function of distance within the HFC cableplant of FIG. 4. As illustrated, a total (DS and US combined) bandwidthon the order of 10 Gbps is achievable (based on computerized simulationconducted by the Assignee hereof), at Node+2 at 2100 ft (640 m), and atNode+1 at 1475 ft (450 m). One exemplary split of the aforementioned 10Gbps is asymmetric; e.g., 8 Gbps DL/2 Gbps UL, although this may bedynamically varied using e.g., TDD variation as described elsewhereherein.

Notably, the portions of the extant HFC architecture described above(see e.g., FIGS. 1 and 2) utilized by the architecture 400 of FIG. 4 arenot inherently limited by their medium and architecture (i.e., opticalfiber transport ring, with coaxial cable toward the edges); coaxialcable can operate at frequencies significantly higher than the sub-1 GHztypically used in cable systems, but at a price of significantlyincreased attenuation. As is known, the formula for theoreticalcalculation of attenuation (A) in a typical coaxial cable includes theattenuation due to conductors plus attenuation due to the dielectricmedium:

$\begin{matrix}{A = {{4.35\mspace{14mu} ( {R_{t}/Z_{0}} )} + {2\sqrt{E}78\mspace{14mu} {pF}}}} \\{= {{dB}\mspace{14mu} {per}\mspace{14mu} 100\mspace{14mu} {ft}}}\end{matrix}.$

where:

-   -   R_(t)=Total line resistance ohms per 1000 ft.    -   R_(t)=0.1 (1/d+1√{square root over (F)}D) (for single copper        line)    -   p=Power factor of d electric    -   F=Frequency in megahertz (Hz)

As such, attenuation increases with increasing frequency, and hencethere are practical restraints on the upper frequency limit of theoperating band. However, these restraints are not prohibitive in rangesup to for example 2 GHz, where with suitable cable and amplifiermanufacturing and design, such coaxial cables can suitably carry RFsignals without undue attenuation. Notably, a doubling of the roughly800 MHz-wide typical cable RF band (i.e., to 1.6 GHz width) is verypossible without suffering undue attenuation at the higher frequencies.

It will also be appreciated that the attenuation described above is afunction of, inter alia, coaxial conductor length, and hence higherlevels of “per-MHz” attenuation may be acceptable for shorter runs ofcable. Stated differently, nodes serviced by shorter runs of cable maybe able to better utilize the higher-end portions of the RF spectrum(e.g., on the high end of the aforementioned exemplary 1.6 GHz band) ascompared to those more distant, the latter requiring greater ordisproportionate amplification. As such, the present disclosurecontemplates use of selective mapping of frequency spectrum usage as afunction of total cable medium run length or similar.

Another factor of transmission medium performance is the velocity factor(VF), also known as wave propagation speed or velocity of propagation(VoP), defined as the ratio of the speed at which a wavefront (of anelectromagnetic or radio frequency signal, a light pulse in an opticalfiber or a change of the electrical voltage on a copper wire) propagatesover the transmission medium, to the speed of light (c, approximately3E08 m/s) in a vacuum. For optical signals, the velocity factor is thereciprocal of the refractive index. The speed of radio frequency signalsin a vacuum is the speed of light, and so the velocity factor of a radiowave in a vacuum is 1, or 100%. In electrical cables, the velocityfactor mainly depends on the material used for insulating thecurrent-carrying conductor(s). Velocity factor is an importantcharacteristic of communication media such as coaxial, CAT-5/6 cables,and optical fiber. Data cable and fiber typically has a VF betweenroughly 0.40 and 0.8 (40% to 80% of the speed of light in a vacuum).

Achievable round-trip latencies in LTE (UL/DL) are on the order of 2 ms(for “fast” UL access, which eliminates need for scheduling requests andindividual scheduling grants, thereby minimizing latency, and shorterTTI, per Release 15), while those for 5G NR are one the order of 1 ms orless, depending on transmission time interval frequency (e.g., 60 kHz).

Notably, a significant portion of 4G/4.5G transport latency relates tonetwork core and transport (i.e., non-edge) portions of the supportinginfrastructure.

Hence, assuming a nominal 0.7 VF and a one (1) ms roundtrip latencyrequirement, putative service distances on the order of 100 km arepossible, assuming no other processing or transport latency:

0.5E-03 s (assume symmetric US/DS)×(0.7×3E08 m/s)×1 km/1000 m=1.05E02 km

As discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 7a and 7b ,the exemplary embodiments of the architecture 400 may utilize IF(Intermediate Frequencies) to reduce attenuation that exists at thehigher frequencies on the brearer medium (i.e., coaxial cable).

Network Node and DUe Apparatus—

FIGS. 7 and 7 a illustrate exemplary configurations of a network radiofrequency node apparatus 409 according to the present disclosure. Asreferenced above, these nodes 409 can take any number of form factors,including (i) co-located with other MSO equipment, such as in aphysically secured space of the MSO, (ii) “strand” or pole mounted,(iii) surface mounted, and (iv) buried, so as to inter alia, facilitatemost efficient integration with the extant HFC (and optical)infrastructure, as well as other 4G/5G components such as the CUe 404.

As shown, in FIG. 7, the exemplary node 409 in one embodiment generallyincludes an optical interface 702 to the HFC network DWDM system (seeFIG. 2), as well as a “Southbound” RF interface 704 to the HFCdistribution network (i.e., coax). The optical interface 702communicates with an SFP connector cage 706 for receiving the DWDMsignals via the interposed optical fiber. A 5G NR DUe 406 is alsoincluded to provide 5G DU functionality as previously described, basedon the selected option split. The MIMO/radio unit (RU) stages 708operate at baseband, prior to upconversion of the transmitted waveformsby the IF (intermediate frequency) stages 710 as shown. As discussedbelow, multiple parallel stages are used in the exemplary embodiment tocapitalize on the multiple parallel data streams afforded by the MIMOtechnology within the 3GPP technology. A tilt stage 712 is also utilizedprior to the diplexer stage 714 and impedance matching stage 716.Specifically, in one implementation, this “tilt” stage is used tocompensate for non-linearity across different frequencies carried by themedium (e.g., coaxial cable). For instance, higher frequencies may havea higher loss per unit distance when travelling on the medium ascompared to lower frequencies travelling the same distance on the samemedium. When a high bandwidth signal (e.g. 50-1650 MHz) is transmittedon a coax line, its loss across the entire frequency bandwidth will notbe linear, and may include shape artifacts such as a slope (or “tilt”),and/or bends or “knees” in the attenuation curve (e.g., akin to alow-pass filter). Such non-linear losses may be compensated for toachieve optimal performance on the medium, by the use of one or moretilt compensation apparatus 712 on the RF stage of the node device.

A synchronization signal generator 718 is also used in some embodimentsas discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 7 a.

In the exemplary implementation of FIG. 7a , both 4G and 5G gNB DUe 707,406 are also included to support the RF chains for 4G and 5Gcommunication respectively. As described in greater detail below, the 5Gportion of the spectrum is divided into two bands (upper and lower),while the 4G portion is divided into upper and lower bands within adifferent frequency range. In the exemplary implementation, OFDMmodulation is applied to generate a plurality of carriers in the timedomain. See, e.g., co-owned and co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 9,185,341issued Nov. 10, 2015 and entitled “Digital domain content processing anddistribution apparatus and methods,” and U.S. Pat. No. 9,300,445 issuedMar. 29, 2016 also entitled “Digital domain content processing anddistribution apparatus and methods,” each incorporated herein byreference in their entirety, for inter alia, exemplary reprogrammableOFDM-based spectrum generation apparatus useful with various embodimentsof the node 509 described herein.

In the exemplary embodiment, the 5G and LTE OFDM carriers produced bythe node 409 utilize 1650 MHz of the available HFC bearer bandwidth, andthis bandwidth is partitioned into two or more sub-bands depending one.g., operational conditions, ratio of “N+0” subscribers served versus“N+i” subscribers served, and other parameters. See discussion of FIG.7c below. In one variant, each node utilizes RF power from its upstreamnodes to derive electrical power, and further propagate the RF signal(whether at the same of different frequency) to downstream nodes anddevices including the wideband amplifiers.

While the present embodiments are described primarily in the context ofan OFDM-based PHY (e.g., one using IFFT and FFT processes with multiplecarriers in the time domain) along with TDD (time division duplex)temporal multiplexing, it will be appreciated that other PHY/multipleaccess schemes may be utilized consistent with the various aspects ofthe present disclosure, including for example and without limitation FDD(frequency division duplexing), direct sequence or other spreadspectrum, and FDMA (e.g., SC-FDMA or NB FDMA).

As previously noted, to achieve high throughput using a single receiverchipset in the consumer premises equipment (CPEe) 413 and 3GPP 5G NRwaveforms over a single coaxial feeder, such as the coaxial cable thatMSOs bring to their subscriber's premises or the single coaxial cablethat is installed for lower-cost single input single output (SISO)distributed antenna systems (DAS), the total carrier bandwidth that canbe aggregated by the prior art chipset is limited to a value, e.g. 800MHz, which is insufficient for reaching high throughputs such as 10Gbit/s using one data stream alone given the spectral efficienciessupported by the 3GPP 5G NR standard.

Since the 3GPP 5G NR standard supports the transmission of multipleindependent parallel data streams as part of a multiple input multipleoutput (MIMO) channel for the same RF bandwidth to leverage the spatialdiversity that wireless channels afford when multiple antenna elementsare used, the very first generation of 3GPP 5G chipsets will supportsuch parallel MIMO data streams. However, attempts to transmit theseparallel streams over a single cable would generally becounterproductive, as all the streams would occupy the same RF bandwidthand would interfere with each other for lack of spatial diversitybetween them.

Accordingly, the various embodiments of the apparatus disclosed herein(FIGS. 7 and 7 a) leverage the parallel MIMO data streams supported by3GPP 5G NR, which are shifted in frequency in the transceiver node 409before being injected into the single coaxial feeder so that frequencydiversity (instead of spatial diversity; spatial diversity may beutilized at the CPEe and/or supplemental pole-mounted radio access node406 a if desired) is leveraged to achieve the maximum total carrierbandwidth that 3GPP 5G NR chipsets will support with parallel datastreams. Conceptually, a transparent “pipe” that delivers MIMO streamswhich converge at the CPEe is created. Based on channel quality feedbackfrom the CPEe back to the node (e.g., DUe 406 or node 409), the contentsof the MIMO streams are mapped to different frequency resources, e.g.with a frequency selective scheduler, and the appropriate modulation andcoding scheme (MCS) is selected by the transmission node for thecontents. The aforementioned “pipe” disclosed herein acts in effect as ablack box which internally reroutes different antenna ports to differentfrequency bands on the cable bearer medium.

FIG. 7b shows a comparison of prior art LTE/LTE-A frequency bands andassociated guard bands over a typical 100 MHz portion of the allocatedfrequency spectrum (top), as well as a comparable 5G NR frequency bandallocation (bottom). As shown, 5G NR uses a wideband approach, with itsmaximum bandwidth being on the order of 98 MHz. Such use of the wideband5G carrier is more efficient than multicarrier LTE/LTE-A. It provides anumber of benefits, including faster load balancing, less common channeloverhead, and reduced guard bands between carriers (LTE uses for example10% allocated to its guard bands).

Accordingly, in one variant of the present disclosure (FIG. 7c ), thenode 409 is configured to offset the aforementioned individual parallelMIMO data streams in the frequency spectrum using a plurality of 5G NRwidebands 732 (here, TDD carriers) distributed between lower and upperfrequency limits 752, 754, each wideband having a center frequency andassociated guardband (not shown) to the next adjacent widebandcarrier(s) 732. In one implementation, the 5G NR values of maximumbandwidth and guardband are used; however, it will be appreciated thatthe various aspects of the present disclosure are in no way so limited,such values being merely exemplary. In the illustrated embodiments ofFIG. 7c , N bands or TTD carriers 732 are spread across of the availablespectrum, the latter which may in one example be 1.6 GHz as discussedpreviously herein, although other values are contemplated (including tofrequencies well above 1.6 GHz, depending on the underlying cable mediumlosses and necessary transmission distances involved). As shown,depending on the available bandwidth and the bandwidth consumed by eachTDD carrier 732, more or less of such carriers can be used (three shownon the left portion of the diagram, out to “n” total carriers. Notably,while a number of nominal 98 MHz NR carriers may be used, theembodiments of FIG. 7c also contemplate (i) much wider carriers(depending on the number of layers 737, 738 used, as shown in the bottomportion of FIG. 7c ), and (ii) use of carrier aggregation or CAmechanisms to utilize two or more widebands together effectively as acommon carrier.

As further shown in the top portion 730 of FIG. 7c , a lower band 734 isconfigured for FDD use; specifically, in this implementation, a downlinksynchronization channel 733 (discussed elsewhere herein) is created atthe lower portion of the band 734, and one or more LTE FDD bands 742 arecreated (such as for UL and DL channels as described below with respectto the bottom portion of FIG. 7c ). The total bandwidth of the FDD band734 is small in comparison to the remainder of the spectrum (i.e.,between the lower and upper limits 752, 754), the latter used to carry,inter alia, the 5G NR traffic.

In the exemplary implementation 740 (FIG. 7c , bottom portion) of thegeneralized model 730 (FIG. 7c , top portion), the individual 5G TDDcarriers 732 each include multiple “layers” 737, 738, which in theexemplary configuration correspond to MIMO ports and which can beutilized for various functions. As shown, a common UL/DL layer 737 isassociated with each or the larger carriers 732 (to maintain an uplinkand downlink channel), as are a number (L) of additional UL or DL layers738 (e.g., which can be selectively allocated to UL or DL, the latterbeing the predominant choice due to service asymmetry on the networkwhere DL consumes much more bandwidth than UL). In one variant, eachlayer is 98 MHz wide to correspond to a single NR wideband, althoughthis value is merely exemplary.

Within the LTE FDD band 742, two LTE carriers for UL and DL 735, 736 areused, and a separate DL synchronization channel 733 is used at the lowerend of the spectrum. As will be appreciated, various otherconfigurations of the lower portion of the cable spectrum frequency planmay be used consistent with the present disclosure. In one variant, thelower spectrum portion 742 (FIG. 7c ) is allocated to a 3GPP 4G LTE MIMOcarrier with two parallel streams 735, 736 of about 20 MHz bandwidth fora total of about 40 MHz (including guardbands). This is performed since3GPP Release 15 only supports 5G NR in Non-Standalone (NSA) mode,whereby it must operate in tandem with a 4G/4.5 LTE carrier.

As an aside, 5G NR supports adaptive TDD duty cycles, whereby theproportion of time allocated for downstream and upstream transmissionscan be adapted to the net demand for traffic from the total set oftransmitting network elements, viz. the node and all the CPEe 413sharing the coaxial bus with the node. 4G LTE does not support suchadaptive duty cycles. To prevent receiver blocking in the likelyscenario that the 5G and 4G duty cycles differ, high-rejection filtercombiners 714 (FIG. 7a ) are used in all active network elements, viz.transceiver nodes, inline amplifiers and CPEe 413 for the 4G and 5Gcarriers to not interfere with each other or cause receiver blocking. Inthe exemplary diplexer of FIG. 7a , both 4G and 5G are addressed via ahigh-rejection filter to allow for different duty cycles.

As noted above, another minor portion 733 of the lower spectrum on thecoaxial cable (e.g., <5 MHz) employs one-way communication in thedownstream for the transmission of two digital synchronization channels,one for 5G and one for 4G, which are I-Q multiplexed onto one QPSKanalog synchronization channel within the aforementioned “minor portion”733 from the signal generator 718 of the transceiver node 409 to themultiple inline amplifiers and CPEe 413 that may be sharing the coaxialbus. These synchronization channels aid coherent reception of the PRBs,Specifically, the synchronization signal is used to achieve frequencysynchronization of oscillators in all active components downstream fromthe node such as line-extender amplifiers and CPEe's. The oscillatorsfor the 4G and 5G technologies may be independent. If the carrier usesFDD, such as on the 4G LTE channels, frequency synchronization issufficient. If the carrier uses TDD as in the 5G NR portions of FIG. 7c, then phase synchronization is needed as well for downstream componentsto identify the transmission mode—downlink or uplink and the duty cyclebetween the two and the synchronization signal conveys this information.Since lower frequencies attenuate less on the cable, the synchronizationchannel is in one implementation transmitted over a lower portion of thespectrum on the cable (FIG. 7c ) so that it reaches every downstreamnetwork element and CPEe. In one variant, an analog signal is modulatedwith two bits, where one bit switches according to the duty cycle forthe 4G signal, and the other bit switches according to the duty cycle ofthe 5G signal, although other approaches may be utilized.

It will also be recognized that: (i) the width of each 5G TDD widebandcarrier 732 may be statically or dynamically modified based on e.g.,operational requirements such as demand (e.g., network or bandwidthrequirements of any dedicated bearer created for enhanced-QoE voiceservices), and (ii) the number of wideband carriers 732 used (and infact the number of layers utilized within each wideband carrier 732) canbe similarly statically or dynamically modified. It will also beappreciated that two or more different values of bandwidth may be usedin association with different ones of the plurality of widebands, aswell as being aggregated as previously described.

The values of f_(lower) 752 and f_(upper) 754 may also be varieddepending on operational parameters and/or other considerations, such asRF signal attenuation as a function of frequency as discussed in detailpreviously herein. For example, since higher frequencies attenuate muchmore over the coaxial transmission media than lower frequencies, in onevariant the Intermediate Frequencies (IF) are transmitted over themedia, and block-conversion to RF carrier frequency is employedsubsequently in the consumer premises equipment (CPEe) 413 for 3GPPband-compliant interoperability with the 3GPP 5G NR chipset in the CPEe.In this fashion, attenuation that would otherwise be experienced byconversion earlier in the topology is advantageously avoided. Similarly,very short runs of cable (e.g., a “last mile” between a fiber deliverynode and a given premises, or from a distribution node to varioussubscriber CPEe within a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) such as an apartmentor condominium building, hospital, or enterprise or school campus can bemapped out into much higher frequencies since their overall propagationdistance over the cable is comparatively small.

In another variant, active or dynamic Tx/Rx port formation specified inthe 5G NR standards is utilized, yet the formed beams therein aresubstituted with frequency bandwidth assignments as discussed above(i.e., total bandwidth, f_(lower) 752 and f_(upper) 754 values, and TDDcarrier bandwidth values).

The foregoing aspects of FIG. 7c also highlight the fact that, whilesome exemplary configurations described herein utilize two (2) MIMOports or streams as baseline of sorts for frequency diversity on thecable medium (i.e., in order to reduce the frequency-based filteringcomplexity in the CPEe 413), a much greater level of complexity infrequency planning can be utilized consistent with the presentdisclosure, including use of more MIMO layers and different bandwidthsper TDD carrier 732. Specifically, exemplary embodiments herein map thedifferent antenna ports to different frequency bands on the cable, withdifferent frequency bands experiencing different levels of propagationloss, phase delay, environmental interference and self-interference.Hence, independent channels with frequency diversity for signals toreach the CPEe are created. When upconverted to RF frequency at theCPEe, the CPEe in one implementation processes these signals as if theywere received over the air, and will (as shown in block 810 of FIG. 8),upconvert each frequency band on the cable, from 50 to 850 MHz for Port0 and 850 to 1650 MHz for Port 1 in the exemplary embodiment, to thesame RF frequency, thereby realigning them by virtue of a differentfrequency multiplier being applied to each port. Moreover, in theexemplary embodiment. The CPEe provides channel quality information(CQI), rank Indicator (RI) and precoding matrix indicator (PMI) feedbackback to the distribution node 409 consistent with extant 3GPP protocols.If the higher frequencies on the cable medium are not excessivelyattenuated (see FIGS. 6a and 6b ), an RI of 2 (for 2-layer MIMO) will bereported back to the node 409. The node then uses this information tocode independent layers of data to the CPEe. However, depending onpermissible complexity in the CPEe and the physical characteristics ofthe cable relative to topological location of the CPEe, four (4), oreven (8) layers may be utilized in place of the more simple 2-layerapproach above.

In operation, the IF carriers injected by the transceiver node into thecoaxial feeder 704 can be received by multiple CPEe 413 that share thefeeder as a common bus using directional couplers and power dividers ortaps. Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) downstream transmissions from the node409 to the CPEe 413 can be achieved by, for instance, scheduling payloadfor different CPEe on different 3GPP 5G NR physical resource blocks(PRB) which are separated in frequency.

In the exemplary embodiments of FIG. 7c , the vast majority of bandwidthin the coaxial cable bearer is used in Time Division Duplex (TDD)fashion to switch between downstream (DS) and upstream (US) 5G NRcommunications, depending on the configuration of the particular layers737, 738 used in each TDD carrier 732. Upstream communications from themultiple CPEe 413 to the transceiver node can also/alternatively occursimultaneously over separate PRBs (with frequency separation) ifdesired.

The connectivity between the transceiver node 409 and the northbound orupstream network element is achieved with a fiber optic link 702 to theMSO DWDM plant. To minimize the number of fiber channels required tofeed the transceiver node 409, and to restrict it to a pair of fiberstrands, in one embodiment the 3GPP 5G NR F1 interface (described supra)is realized over the fiber pair to leverage the low overhead of the F1interface. The 3GPP 5G NR Distribution Unit (DUe) functionality isincorporated into the transceiver node 409 as previously described,since the F1 interface is defined between the Central Unit (CU/CUe) andDU/DUe where, in the illustrated embodiment, the CUe and DUe togetherconstitute a 3GPP 5G NR base station or gNB (see FIGS. 5a-5f ).

An Ethernet switch 705 is also provided at the optical interface in theembodiment of FIG. 7a to divide the backhaul into the 4G and 5G datapaths (e.g., the received upstream 4G and 5G signals are respectivelyrouted differently based on the switch 705).

The exemplary node 409 also includes a power converter 719 to adapt forinternal use of quasi-square wave low voltage power supply technologyover HFC used by DOCSIS network elements as of the date of thisdisclosure. The node 409 in one variant is further configured to passthe quasi-square wave low voltage power received on the input port 701through to the HFC output port 704 to other active network elements suchas e.g., amplifiers, which may be installed downstream of the node onthe HFC infrastructure.

It is noted that as compared to some extant solutions, the illustratedembodiment of FIGS. 4 and 7, 7 a, 7 c uses HFC versus twisted pair tofeed the CPEe 413; HFC advantageously provides lower loss and widerbandwidths than twisted pair, which is exploited to provide 5Gthroughputs to farther distances, and to leverage the large existingbase of installed coaxial cable. Moreover, the foregoing architecture inone implementation is configured to serve multiple CPEe 413 usingdirectional couplers and power dividers or taps to attach to a commoncoaxial bus which connects to a single interface at the transceivernode. The aforementioned Ethernet services (necessary to service anexternal Wi-Fi access-point and an integrated Wi-Fi router) are furtheradded in other implementations to provide expanded capability, incontrast to the existing solutions.

CPEe Apparatus—

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a CPEe apparatus 413according to the present disclosure. As shown, the CPEe 413 generally anRF input interface 816 to the HFC distribution network (i.e., coax dropat the premises). A transmitter/receiver architecture generallysymmetrical to the transmitter/receiver of the node 409 discussedpreviously is used; i.e., impedance matching circuitry, diplexer,synchronization circuit, tilt, etc. are used as part of the CPEe RFfront end. Block converters 810 are used to convert to and from thecoaxial cable domain bands (here, 50-850 and 850-1650 MHz) to thepremises domain, discussed in greater detail below.

The exemplary CPEe 413 also includes a 5G UE process 808 to implement3GPP functionality of the UE within the CPEe, and 3GPP (e.g., 5G/LTE)repeater module 809 which includes one or more antennae elements 810 forindoor/premises coverage within the user RF band(s). As such, the CPEe413 shown can in effect function as a base station for user deviceswithin the premises operating within the user band(s).

A 10 GbE WLAN port 818 is also included, which interfaces between the UEmodule 808 and the (optional) WLAN router 417 with internal 10 GbEswitch 819) to support data interchange with premises WLANinfrastructure such as a Wi-Fi AP.

Also shown in the configuration of FIG. 8 are several external ports812, 814 for external antenna 416 connection (e.g., roof-top antennaelement(s) used for provision of the supplemental data link aspreviously described with respect to FIG. 4), wireless high-bandwidthbackhaul, or other functions.

In the exemplary implementation of FIG. 8a , both 4G and 5G gNB blockconverters 832, 830 are included to support the RF chains for 4G and 5Gcommunication respectively (i.e., for conversion of the IF-band signalsreceived to the relevant RF frequencies of the 4G/5G interfaces andmodems within the CPEe, such as in the 2 GHz band. The block convertersalso enable upstream communication with the distribution node 409 viathe relevant IF bands via the coaxial input 816 as previously described.

Notably, the CPEe 413 applies block-conversion between the IF and RFcarrier frequency for the 4G and 5G carrier separately since they may beon different frequency bands. The CPEe includes in one implementation a5G NR and 4G LTE-capable user equipment (UE) chipset 816. The twotechnologies are supported in this embodiment, since the first releaseof 3GPP 5G NR requires 4G and 5G to operate in tandem as part of thenon-standalone (NSA) configuration.

It is noted that in the exemplary configuration of FIG. 8a (showing thelower frequencies in 4G combined with 5G), a filter combiner is used (incontrast to the more generalized approach of FIG. 8).

It is also noted that the specific implementation of FIG. 8a utilizes“tilt” compensation as previously described on only one of the RF-IFblock converters 830. This is due to the fact that the need for suchcompensation arises, in certain cases such as coaxial cable operated inthe frequency band noted) disproportionately at the higher frequencies(i.e., up to 1650 MHz in this embodiment). It will be appreciatedhowever that depending on the particular application, differentcompensation configurations may be used consistent with the presentdisclosure. For example, in one variant, the upper-band block converters830 may be allocated against more granular frequency bands, and hencetilt/compensation applied only in narrow regions of the utilizedfrequency band (e.g., on one or two of four 5G RF-IF block converters).Similarly, different types of tilt/compensation may be applied to eachblock converter (or a subset thereof) in heterogeneous fashion. Variousdifferent combinations of the foregoing will also be appreciated bythose of ordinary skill given the present disclosure.

Block conversion to the RF frequency makes the signals 3GPPband-compliant and interoperable with the UE chipset in the CPEe 413.The RF carriers are also then amenable for amplification through theincluded repeater 809 for 4G and 5G which can radiate the RF carriers,typically indoors, through detachable external antennas 810 connected tothe CPEe. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets with cellularmodems and IoT devices can then serve off of the radiated signal for 4Gand 5G service (see discussion of FIGS. 9a and 9b below).

The UE chipset 816 and the repeater 809 receive separate digital I/Qsynchronization signals, one for 4G and one for 5G, for switchingbetween the downstream and upstream modes of the respective TDDcarriers, since they are likely to have different downstream-to-upstreamratios or duty cycle. These two digital synchronization signals arereceived from an I-Q modulated analog QPSK signal received fromlower-end spectrum on the coaxial cable that feeds the CPEe 413 via theport 816.

As noted, in the exemplary implementation, OFDM modulation is applied togenerate a plurality of carriers in the time domain at the distributionnode 409; accordingly, demodulation (via inter alia, FFT) is used in theCPEe to demodulate the IF signals. See, e.g., co-owned and co-pendingU.S. Pat. No. 9,185,341 issued Nov. 10, 2015 and entitled “Digitaldomain content processing and distribution apparatus and methods,” andU.S. Pat. No. 9,300,445 issued Mar. 29, 2016 also entitled “Digitaldomain content processing and distribution apparatus and methods,” eachincorporated herein by reference in their entirety, for inter alia,exemplary reprogrammable OFDM-based receiver/demodulation apparatususeful with various embodiments of the CPEe 413 described herein.

Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 8, a 10 Gbe Ethernet port is alsoprovided to support operation of the WLAN router 417 in the device ofFIG. 8a , including for LAN use within the served premises.

Further, to boost the broadband capacity beyond the capacity availablethrough the primary coaxial cable link and to add a redundant connectionfor higher reliability (which could be important for small businesses,enterprises, educational institutions, etc.), two additional RFinterfaces on the CPEe of FIG. 8a are included for connecting the CPEeto a 2-port external antenna 416 which is installed outdoors, e.g., onthe roof of the small business, multi-dwelling unit (MDU) or multi-storyenterprise (see FIG. 9a ). This external antenna can be used to receivesupplemental signals from outdoor radios installed in the vicinity ofthe consumer premises. It will be appreciated that the outdoor radiosmay have a primary purpose of providing coverage for outdoor mobility,but signals from them can also/alternatively be used in a fixed-wirelessmanner to supplement the capacity from the primary coaxial link and toadd redundancy, as described elsewhere herein.

Methods

Referring now to FIGS. 9-9 d, methods of operating the networkinfrastructure of, e.g., FIG. 4 herein are shown and described.

FIG. 9 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of ageneralized method 1200 of utilizing an existing network (e.g., HFC) forhigh-bandwidth data communication. As shown, the method includes firstidentifying content (e.g., digitally rendered media or other data, etc.)to be transmitted to the recipient device or node (e.g., a requestingCPEe 413 or UE in communication therewith) per step 902.

Next, per step 904, the transmission node 409 generates waveforms“containing” the identified content data. As described below, in oneembodiment, this includes generation of OFDM waveforms andtime-frequency resources to carry the content data (e.g., PRBs). Asdiscussed in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 9a , the waveformgeneration and transmission process may also include both: (i)application of frequency diversity in accordance with FIG. 7c herein,and (ii) I-Q multiplexing onto one QPSK analog synchronization channelwithin the aforementioned “minor portion” 733 (FIG. 7c ) from the signalgenerator 718 of the transceiver node 409 to the multiple inlineamplifiers and CPEe 413 that may be sharing the coaxial bus.

Per step 906, the waveforms are transmitted via the networkinfrastructure (e.g., coaxial cable and/or DWDM optical medium) to oneor more recipient nodes. It will be appreciated that such transmissionmay include relay or transmission via one or more intermediary nodes,including for instance one or more N-way taps (FIG. 5), optical nodes,repeaters, etc.).

Per step 908, the transmitted waveforms are received at the recipientnode (e.g., CPEe 413 in one instance).

The waveforms are then upconverted in frequency (e.g., to the specifieduser frequency band per step 912 (including recovery of the frequencydiversity shifts), and transmitted per step 914 via the local (e.g.,premises RAN or distribution medium) for use by, e.g., consuming orrequesting UE. Specifically, in the exemplary embodiment, and as shownin block 810 of FIG. 8, the CPEe 413 upconverts each frequency band onthe cable, from 50 to 850 MHz for Port 0 and 850 to 1650 MHz for Port 1in the exemplary frequency plan of 1.6 GHz total), to the same RFfrequency. Hence, realignment of the frequency offsets applied by thetransmitter occurs by virtue of a different frequency multiplier beingapplied to each Port.

FIG. 9a is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of content processing and transmission methods 920according to the generalized method of FIG. 9. Specifically, as shown,the method 920 includes first determining the frequency mapping plan orallocation for the transmission per step 922. In one variant, thismapping is in accordance with one of the schemes 730, 740 shown in FIG.7c ; i.e., a number of wideband TDD NR carriers are utilized within anIF band (between f_(lower) and f_(upper)), and along with 4G/4.5Gcarriers and a synchronization band. FIG. 12b discussed below describedone exemplary approach for such frequency mapping determination.

It will also be appreciated that the frequency mapping plan may bevaried on a temporal or other basis, including based on one or more TDDslots. For instance, the same mapping may be applied on two or morecontiguous slots, or per individual slot. Individual mappings may beused for one or more subsets of CPEe's 413 as well, such as where thesame subset of CPEe accesses the bearer medium according to a prescribedTDD schedule, and all utilize the common frequency mapping.

Next, per step 924, frequency diversity is applied to the generated datastreams according to the mapping plan determined in step 922. In onevariant, the different data streams generated according to 5G NR MIMOspatial diversity techniques are utilized; i.e., each separate MIMO datastream (Ports 0 and 1) is applied to two or more wideband carriers 732within the mapping plan.

A serial-to-parallel conversion of the content data is then applied perstep 926. Next, the parallelized data is mapped to its resources (step928), and an IFFT or other such transformation operation performed toconvert the frequency-domain signals to the time domain (step 930). Thetransformed (time domain) data is then re-serialized (step 932) andconverted to the analog domain (step 934) for transmission over e.g.,the RF interface such as a coaxial cable plant. In the exemplaryembodiment, an IF band on the plant (e.g., 50 to 1650 MHz) is used,although it will be appreciated that other frequency bands (and in factmultiple different frequency bands in various portions of the spectrum)may be used for this purpose, including higher frequencies forcomparatively shorter cable runs.

FIG. 9b is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of the frequency mapping plan determination methods 922by a transmitting node 409 according to the method of FIG. 9a . In thismethod 922, the node 409 (e.g., the CUe 404) first determines therequired bandwidth for the multiple MIMO data streams (e.g., Ports 0and 1) per step 940. This determination may be accomplished by simplyadding the requisite maximum bitrates for the streams, based onrequisite performance (e.g., latency) requirements, and/or othercriteria relating to the data streams (or the original data stream fromwhich the individual MIMO streams were derived). In one variant,adequate frequency bandwidth for the LTE and synchronization channels(discussed below) are reserved using a predetermined value (e.g., 45MHz), although in other variants, LTE channel demand may be dynamicallyassessed as well. Synchronization channel bandwidth is presumed to bebasically static, since it involves no user plane data.

Next, per step 942, the available frequency spectrum on the bearermedium (e.g., HFC plant) is determined. As previously noted, the totalavailable useful spectrum on the exemplary configuration of the HFCcable of FIG. 4 is on the order of 1.6 GHz (see FIGS. 6a and 6b ). Sincethe higher frequencies within that band attenuate much more over thecoaxial medium than lower frequencies, the implementation of FIG. 9buses Intermediate Frequencies (IF), and block-conversion to RF carrierfrequency is employed subsequently in the CPEe 413 for 3GPPband-compliant interoperability with the 3GPP 5G NR chipset in the CPEe.As such, the exemplary determination of step 942 includes both (i)determining what portion(s) of the spectrum are physically availableduring the requisite temporal period (e.g., not consumed by some otherasset, not unavailable due to maintenance or equipment failure, etc.),and (ii) selecting one or more portions of the available spectrum thatalso meet the IF criterion (i.e., do not exhibit excess attenuation). Aspreviously noted, the attenuation varies as a function of frequency, soeven within a single wideband TDD carrier 732 (FIG. 7c ), some variationwill occur. As such, the previously described tilt compensation is usedto account for such variations across the breadth of the applicableportion of the frequency spectrum.

The IF criterion used may be determined a priori (e.g., based on testingor characterization of the HFC plant or portions thereof), and/ordetermined dynamically at time of mapping (such as based on operationalconsiderations or parameters).

Per step 944, f_(upper) and f_(lower) are selected based onavailable/designated spectrum from step 942. It will be appreciated thatwhile the TDD spectrum portion shown in FIG. 7c is continuous (i.e., oneblock of about 1600 MHz), this is not a requirement, and in fact theavailable “IF” spectrum used to map the MIMO data streams may be severalnon-contiguous portions, such as e.g., several N MHz (N ranging in valueaccording to use of multiple MIMO layers in each carrier, use of carrieraggregation, and so forth) wideband carriers 732 interspersed throughoutthe illustrated 1600 MHz band or other. Selection of the upper and lowerfrequencies (including several of each when non-contiguous portions areused) enables the subsequent mapping of the data streams to theavailable/allocated spectrum portion(s) per step 946. For instance, inone implementation, each of two (2) independent MIMO spatial diversitystreams, Ports 0 and 1, are mapped to respective ones of TDD carriers732 within the allocated band(s) during one or more TDD DL accessintervals for that node 409. In one approach, the respective centerfrequencies f_(ci) are specified until all MIMO channels available formapping are allocated.

Next, per step 948, the two (2) or more LTE carriers (18 MHz each withguard bands of 10%, so approximately 40 MHz in total) as shown in FIG.7c are mapped onto the available spectrum portion(s). As previouslydiscussed, these channels enable, inter alia, support under NSAoperation.

Finally, per step 949, the synchronization channel(s) carrier (<5 MHzwith guard band in one implementation) as shown in FIG. 7c is mappedonto the available spectrum portion(s). As previously discussed, thisanalog channel carries data bits in QPSK modulated I-Q multiplexedformat to enable, inter alia, receiver synchronization for LTE and 5G NRreceivers.

FIG. 9c is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of content reception and digital processing methods 950by a CPEe according to the generalized method of FIG. 9. In this method,the CPEe 413 receives the transmitted waveforms (see step 936 of themethod 920), and performs analog-domain upconversion to the targetfrequency (e.g., user band) per step 952.

Per step 954, the upconverted signals are synchronized via the recoveredI/Q signals via the synchronization circuit of the CPEe 413, and theupconverted signals are converted to the digital domain for use by,e.g., the chipset 816 of the CPEe 413 (see FIG. 8a ). Within thechipset, the digital domain signals are processed including inter aliaserial-to-parallel conversion, FFT transformation of the data back tothe frequency domain (step 960), de-mapping of the physical resources(step 962), parallel-to-serial conversion (step 964), and ultimatelydistribution of the digital (baseband) data to e.g., the 10 GbE switch,Wi-Fi router, etc. (step 966). As previously discussed, the CPEereceiver also “realigns” the frequency-shifted IF MIMO streams (e.g.,corresponding to Ports 0 and 1).

FIG. 9d is a logical flow diagram illustrating one particularimplementation of content reception and transmission within a premisesby a CPEe according to the generalized method of FIG. 9. Specifically,as shown in FIG. 9d , the method 970 includes upconversion to the userband (step 972) as in the method 950 described above, but rather thanconversion to the digital domain as in the method 950, the upconvertedanalog domain signals are synchronized (step 974) and provided to one ormore repeater ports for transmission of the upconverted waveforms viathe antenna(e) of the repeater module per step 976 (see FIG. 8a ).Again, the CPEe receiver in this embodiment also “realigns” thefrequency-shifted IF MIMO streams (e.g., corresponding to Ports 0 and1).

In exemplary implementations, supplemental link addition may beconducted according to any number of schemes, including withoutlimitation: (i) 3GPP-based CA (carrier aggregation), or (ii) use of anadditional MIMO (spatial diversity) layer or layers.

It will be recognized that while certain aspects of the disclosure aredescribed in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, thesedescriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods of thedisclosure, and may be modified as required by the particularapplication. Certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional undercertain circumstances. Additionally, certain steps or functionality maybe added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of performance oftwo or more steps permuted. All such variations are considered to beencompassed within the disclosure disclosed and claimed herein.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the disclosure as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Thisdescription is in no way meant to be limiting, but rather should betaken as illustrative of the general principles of the disclosure. Thescope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to theclaims.

It will be further appreciated that while certain steps and aspects ofthe various methods and apparatus described herein may be performed by ahuman being, the disclosed aspects and individual methods and apparatusare generally computerized/computer-implemented. Computerized apparatusand methods are necessary to fully implement these aspects for anynumber of reasons including, without limitation, commercial viability,practicality, and even feasibility (i.e., certain steps/processes simplycannot be performed by a human being in any viable fashion).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a radio frequency (RF)network so that extant infrastructure is used to deliver integratedwireless data services, the method comprising: transmitting OFDM(orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) waveforms over at least aportion of the extant infrastructure within a prescribed frequency band;wherein the transmitted OFDM waveforms comprising at least first andsecond spatial diversity data channels, the at least first and secondspatial diversity data channels shifted in frequency relative to oneanother and within the prescribed frequency band so that each of the atleast first and second spatial diversity data channels may be receivedby at least one receiver device and aggregated.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein: the transmitting over the at least portion of the extantinfrastructure comprises transmitting over a hybrid fiber coax (HFC)infrastructure for delivery to at least one single coaxial cablepremises drop; and the integrated wireless data services comprise datadelivery at rates in excess of 1 Gbps.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe transmitting comprises using at least a frequency band wider infrequency than a normal operating band of the extant infrastructure. 4.The method of claim 1, further comprising: designating the prescribedfrequency band from an available total bandwidth of the extantinfrastructure; and allocating the at least first and second spatialdiversity data channels to at least two respective sub-bands.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the allocating comprises allocating usingwideband amplifier apparatus into sub-bands of approximately 98 MHz. 6.The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating further comprises deliveryof the at least two sub-bands to one or more extant HFC network hubs. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating at least one 3GPPLong Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) channel within at least one sub-band ofthe prescribed frequency band.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising allocating at least one synchronization carrier within atleast one sub-band of the prescribed frequency band.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising multiplexing I (In-phase) and Q (Quadrature)data onto the synchronization carrier.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the multiplexing I (In-phase) and Q (Quadrature) data onto thesynchronization carrier comprises multiplexing at least first and seconddata bits onto the synchronization carrier, the at least first data bitscorresponding to a first technology, and the at least second data bitscorresponding to a second technology.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the first technology comprises 3GPP LTE, and the at least secondtechnology comprises 3GPP 5G NR (5^(th) Generation New Radio).
 12. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the OFDM waveforms toat least one user device using at least a 3GPP Fifth Generation (5G) NewRadio (NR) compliant air interface in an unlicensed radio frequencyband.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting OFDM(orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) waveforms over at least aportion of the extant infrastructure comprises transmitting the OFDMwaveforms over at least coaxial cable and via a plurality of amplifierstages associated with the coaxial cable.
 14. A network architectureconfigured to support wireless user devices, the architecturecomprising: a distribution node, the distribution node configured totransmit radio frequency (RF) waveforms onto a wireline or opticalmedium of a network, the RF waveforms being orthogonal frequencydivision multiplex (OFDM) modulated and comprising at least twospatially diverse data streams, a first of the at least two spatiallydiverse data streams allocated to a first frequency sub-band, and asecond of the at least two spatial diversity data streams allocated to asecond frequency sub-band; and a first plurality of user nodes, each ofthe first plurality of user nodes in data communication with thewireline or optical medium and comprising a receiver apparatusconfigured to: receive the transmitted OFDM modulated waveforms;upconvert the received OFDM modulated waveforms to at least one userfrequency band to form upconverted waveforms; and transmit theupconverted waveforms to at least one wireless user device.
 15. Thenetwork architecture of claim 14, further comprising a radio node indata communication with the distribution node and at least one of thefirst plurality of user nodes, the radio node configured to provide atleast supplemental data communication to the at least one user node. 16.The network architecture of claim 15, wherein the radio node is in datacommunication with the distribution node via at least an optical fibermedium, and the radio node is in data communication with the at leastone user node via a wireless interface.
 17. The network architecture ofclaim 16, wherein the radio node is in data communication with thedistribution node via at least an optical fiber medium, and the radionode is in data communication with the at least one user node via awireless interface.
 18. The network architecture of claim 14, furthercomprising a second distribution node, the second distribution nodeconfigured to transmit radio frequency (RF) waveforms onto a secondwireline or optical medium of the network, the RF waveforms beingorthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) modulated, the secondwireline or optical medium of the network serving a second plurality ofuser nodes different than the first plurality of user nodes.
 19. Thenetwork architecture of claim 18, further comprising a radio node indata communication with at least the distribution node and (i) at leastone of the first plurality of user nodes, and (ii) at least one of thesecond plurality of user nodes, the radio node configured to provide atleast supplemental data communication to both the at least one of thefirst plurality of user nodes, and the at least one of the secondplurality of user nodes; wherein the radio node is in data communicationwith the distribution node via at least an optical fiber medium, and theradio node is in data communication with both the at least one of thefirst plurality of user nodes, and the at least one of the secondplurality of user nodes, via a wireless interface utilizing anunlicensed portion of the RF spectrum.
 20. Controller apparatus for usewithin a hybrid fiber/coaxial cable distribution network, the controllerapparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) communications managementmodule; a first data interface in data communication with the RFcommunications management module for data communication with a networkcore process; a second data interface in data communication with the RFcommunications management module for data communication with a first RFdistribution node of the hybrid fiber/coaxial cable distributionnetwork; and a third data interface in data communication with the RFcommunications management module for data communication with a second RFdistribution node of the hybrid fiber/coaxial cable distributionnetwork; wherein the radio frequency (RF) communications managementmodule comprises computerized logic to enable at least the transmissionof digital data from at least one of the first RF distribution node andthe second RF distribution node using a plurality of spatial diversitydata streams shifted in frequency relative to one another andtransmitted via a selected transmission frequency band.
 21. Thecontroller apparatus of claim 20, wherein: the a radio frequency (RF)communications management module comprises a 3GPP Fifth Generation NewRadio (5G NR) gNB (gNodeB) Controller Unit (CU); the first datainterface for data communication with a network core process comprises a3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) X_(n) interface with a 5GC(Fifth Generation Core); the second data interface comprises a 3GPPFifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) F1 interface operative over at leasta wireline data bearer medium, the first RF distribution node comprisinga 3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) gNB (gNodeB) Distributed Unit(DU); the third data interface comprises an Fifth Generation New Radio(5G NR) F1 interface operative over at least a dense wave divisionmultiplexed (DWDM) optical data bearer, the second RF distribution nodecomprising a 3GPP Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) gNB (gNodeB)Distributed Unit (DU).